Why Were Scouts of the Promised Land Needed?
The most devastating punishment meted out by God in the Torah is described in this week’s Torah portion, parashat Shelach. God commands Moses to send 12 scouts – one representing each…
Changing Ukraine
Kiev, Odessa, Zhitomyr, Uman…these cities in Ukraine are places marked in Jewish history for both horror and hope. Jews have lived in Ukraine for well-over a thousand years, and there is…
Virginia is for Lovers…of Israel
While cities like Charleston, Philadelphia and New York contained Jewish communities during the pre-revolutionary period, Virginia, the largest of the colonies, did not. Individual Jews…
Territorial Strife
The sages wisely noted in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers 4:1) that a truly wealthy person is one who is happy with his/her lot. Alas, dissatisfaction, and the sense of being entitled…
Vayeira 5782-2021
“The Akeida” (updated and revised from Vayeira 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald It took quite a few years of preparing weekly Torah messages for me to work up the courage to…
The Jews of Amsterdam
October 27, 1275 is noted as the first time the name “Amsterdam” was recorded as the name of a settlement in the Netherlands, near a dam on the Amstel River. That small fishing village…
The Jews of Panama
The history of the Jews in Panama is similar to Jewish history in other South and Central American countries. Conversos (Jews who publicly recanted the Jewish faith and adopted…
The Founder of the House of Rothschild
The name Rothschild echoes with a sense of wealth and fame. The House of Rothschild was one of the most powerful financial forces in 19th century Europe, and several members of the family…
Purim Again
Unique to the Jewish calendar, the festival of Purim is actually observed on different days depending on location. The majority of the Jewish people celebrate Purim on the 14th of Adar…
Setting the Seder Table
Before beginning the seder, it is important to make certain that everything necessary is available. No seder table is complete without the following: 1) Three Unbroken Matzot (Kosher for…