The Disputation of Paris
The month of June in the year 1240 C.E. was not a good time for the Jews of Europe. The trouble began with a Jewish apostate named Nicholas Donin. Wanting, perhaps, to prove his loyalty…
Anger Management
Rabbi Moses Maimonides (Rambam) writes that a person who becomes angry is regarded as if he had worshiped idols and that Gehinnom (where souls are purified) will have dominion over him.…
Mikeitz 5783-2022
“In Those Days, in These Times” (updated and revised from Mikeitz 5763-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we have previously noted, the story of Joseph may be seen as the story of an…
The 25th of Kislev
It is not uncommon to find that significant events in Jewish history occurred in different years, but on the same date on the Jewish calendar. For instance, Tisha B’Av (9th of Av), the…
Serach’s Serenade
Upon perusing the list of the generations of Jacob found in Genesis chapter 46, it is likely to conclude that there was a powerful genetic predisposition in Jacob’s family for male…
On the Wings of Eagles
In parashat Yitro, this week’s Torah portion, 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…
Yitro 5783-2023
Yitro 5783-2023 “Why G-d Can Not Share the Limelight” (updated and revised from Yitro 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Yitro, the Al-mighty…
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…
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…
Enrich Yourself
Set aside time each day to study Torah and uncover God’s incredible blueprint for Jewish living. The Torah is so vast, and appears so daunting, that a person might say, why start studying…