What Are Tefillin?
“And you shall bind them [the words that I command you today] for a sign upon your arm, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes… (Deuteronomy 6:8)”. The above verse refers to…
On the Wings of Eagles
In Exodus 19, God instructs Moses to address the Children of Israel and to say to them: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to…
Rabbi Israel Salanter and the Mussar Movement
The Mussar movement, the formal study and program of ethical improvement, was developed in the mid-nineteenth century by Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883). Rabbi Israel’s family name was…
For The Dogs
The domestication of dogs is as old as…well, actually, there are varying scientific opinions. The remains of what seem to be domesticated dogs appear among the fossilized remains of the…
Prepare for the Final Celebratory Meal of Passover
The seventh day of Passover, which begins tonight, recalls the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the Shira (Song of Crossing the Sea), which is tomorrow’s Torah reading. We will read Shir…
Acharei Mot 5782-2022
“The Jewish Method of Achieving Moral Perfection” (Updated and revised from Acharei Mot 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Acharei Mot, we read one…
Emor 5782-2022
“Priests and Death: An Unusual Relationship” (updated and revised from Emor 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Emor, continues the theme of holiness…
Do you Shukle?
If you’ve ever watched a traditional prayer minyan (quorum), or even just the prayers of a traditional Jew, you might wonder what all the motion and body movement is about. Forward-back,…
Live Long And Prosper
Every “Trekkie” knows that Spock’s Vulcan salutation is accompanied by a strange hand gesture. What many don’t realize is that Leonard Nimoy who played Spock, borrowed this symbol from…
B’ha’a’lot’cha 5782-2022
“The Message of the Manna” (updated and revised from B’ha’a’lot’cha 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, Parashat B’ha’a’lot’cha, we encounter the…