Is It Good To Be The King?
Parashat Shoftim, this week’s Torah portion, addresses many issues, among them the Jewish jurisprudential system, false prophets, and the Arei Miklat, cities of refuge. The guidelines for…
Time for Contemplation
Set aside a few quiet moments each day to appreciate all the goodness that God has bestowed upon you. To better understand the Patriarch Isaac who his future wife, Rebecca first…
Facing Jerusalem
Be sure to face toward the direction of Jerusalem, the spiritual focal point of the world, before beginning to recite the Amidah, the silent devotion prayer. To better appreciate the…
Be Careful
Be wary of favoring one child over another. To appreciate the implications of Jacob favoring Joseph over his brothers, read this enlightening thought entitled, “The Jealousy Between…
Shoftim 5766-2006
"The Great Real Estate Swindle–Its Implications" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Shoftim, the Torah introduces a fundamental law of honesty that has…
Kee Teitzei 5774-2014
“Restoring Lost Possessions--Revisited” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Among the 74 commandments (47 negative and 27 positive) that are found in parashat Kee Teitzei is the mitzvah of…
B’ha’alot’cha 5763-2003
"The Message of the Manna" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, we encounter the A'saf'suf, the mixed multitude, who were dissatisfied with the Manna, the food that has…
Masei 5771-2011
“The Never-Ending Journey of the Jewish People” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Masei, concludes the fourth book of the Bible, the book of Bamidbar (Numbers).…
Terumah 5772-2012
"The Outer Altar" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With this week's parasha, parashat Terumah, we begin to read a cycle of five Torah portions that extensively describe the building and…
Happy 5782 From NJOP
Happy 5782 From NJOPThere is a profound yearning to connect to the sweetness, to learn to read Hebrew and make up for lost…