A Man of Torah, A Man of Science
Perhaps you’ve heard of Maimonides (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, Rambam) and Nachmanides (Rabbi Moses ben Nachman, Ramban), two medieval scholars whose works are quoted frequently even today.…
Tiferet-Beauty
The third week of Sefirat Ha’Omer, the counting of the days between Passover and Shavuot, is dedicated to the Sephirah of Tiferet - Beauty. (For an explanation of the sephirot, please…
Answering The Appeals
There they sit, the pile of unopened solicitations and appeals. Direct marketing charity drives are the modern replacement for the communal tzedakah (charity) appeals of the past. Food…
Chanukah and Divine Order
Chanukah always overlaps with at least one Shabbat (if not two), and since Chanukah begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts for eight days, the holiday always coincides with the…
The Babylonian Talmud Completed
Around 200 C.E., Rabbi Judah Ha’Nasi (Judah the Prince) completed his great work of Jewish law, the Mishnah. Although Jewish tradition, for close to 1,500 years, forbade the writing of…
Chol Hamoed
Most holidays in western society last for a single day, which is often extended into the weekend. And while most people are aware that Chanukah is celebrated for 8 days, many people are…
Your Jewish Life Coach
Do you have a life coach? For those unfamiliar with the term, life coaches work to help clients determine and achieve personal goals. While life coaching as a profession in western…
A Scholar and A Playwright
As the epicenter of the Renaissance, Italy was filled with great centers of learning and creativity during the middle centuries of the last millennium. In one of these great centers of…
Your Jewish Life Coach
Do you have a life coach? For those unfamiliar with the term, life coaches work to help clients determine and achieve personal goals. While life coaching as a profession in western…
Shoftim 5780-2020
"Security for Citizens and Caring for Guests” (updated and revised from parashat Shoftim 5761-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shoftim, we encounter…