The Tragic Story of Bar Kamtza
According to Jewish tradition, God allowed the Second Temple to be destroyed because of Sinat Chinam, senseless hatred between the people of Israel who were unable to get along with…
The Saddest Day
When ten of the twelve scouts who were dispatched by Moses to survey the Promised Land returned with a negative report, God’s anger was kindled. The Almighty decreed that the adults of…
Elegies (Kinnot)
An elegy is defined as a mournful poem or a lament. In Hebrew, an elegy is known as a kinna. On Tisha b’Av, when the Jewish people mourn the destruction of both the First and Second…
Prepare for Tisha B’Av
There is great benefit to studying and preparing for the Tisha b’Av kinnot, (elegies, mourning the destruction of the Temples and other great Jewish tragedies) so they can be absorbed and…
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Devarim 5779-2019
“Judaism’s Unique View of Justice and the Judicial System” (Revised and updated from Devarim 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week, we begin reading the Book of…
Reunited and It Feels So Good!
Have you missed the unity with our Israeli brothers and sisters these past three-and-a- half months? Has our non-alignment bothered you? When the first day of Passover falls on Shabbat,…
The Month of Av
The months of the Jewish year are called in the Torah by number only (the first month, second month, etc.) Over time, during the exile, the months assumed the names given to them by host…
The Ba’al Ha’turim
Spain in the Middle Ages was home to scholars of great renown such as Abraham ibn Ezra (1089 - c. 1164), Judah ha-Levi (1086-1145), Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides/Rambam 1135-1204)…
The Antidote For Baseless Hatred
The calendrical period between the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz and the Fast of Tisha b’av is known as Bein Hame’tzarim (in the midst of distress) and is referred to colloquially…
Matot-Masei 5779-2019
“Jeremiah’s Prophecy: An Ancient Message for Contemporary Times” (Revised and updated from Matot-Masei 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This Shabbat, when parashiot Matot…