Vayeitzei 5766-2005
"Deceit, More Deceit and Teraphim" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, recounts the entire 20 year sojourn of Jacob in the house of Laban. After meeting…
Va’eira 5769-2009
"Why Didn't the Egyptians Rebel Against Pharaoh?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Va'eira, we learn of the first seven plagues that struck Egypt: Blood, frogs, lice, wild…
Matot-Masei 5766-2006
"Taking a Stand Against the Banality of Evil" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the first of this week's double parashiot, Matot-Masei, we read of the battle that the people of Israel waged…
Devarim 5768-2008
"Establishing the Rightful Owners of the Land" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald According to tradition, the entire book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, was spoken by Moses in the last five weeks of…
Rosh Hashana 5768-2007
"The Sounding of the Shofar" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Undoubtedly, the most moving part of the Rosh Hashana service is the sounding of the shofar, which takes place in the service soon…
Vayeitzei 5768-2007
"How Dare You Accuse Me!" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald After working 20 years for Laban, Jacob and his wives decide that it is time to leave Laban and his family. They see no future for…
An Earlier Siege
Today, the tenth of Tevet, is a fast day that commemorates the beginning of the Babylonians’ final siege on the city of Jerusalem, which served then as the capital of the Kingdom of…
A Pair of Psalms
“You will eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 8:10). There are few pleasures shared by cultures around the world as the pleasure of eating. Because it is human…
Rachel’s Curse
Reward and punishment are complicated concepts. Suffice it to say that Divine intervention in the world is often through seemingly mundane acts. For instance, the Torah describes the…