The Book of Ruth
Ruth was the Moabite wife of Machlon, one of the two sons of Elimelech and Naomi, a wealthy Hebrew couple who had fled Bethlehem during a bitter famine. Elimelech’s family had settled in…
Lech Lecha 5769-2008
"A Blessing on Your Head" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Blessings play a key role in Judaism. Not surprisingly, there are a vast number of them in Jewish life. There are blessings for…
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…
Vayishlach 5778-2017
“The Tragic Death of Mother Rachel” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, we learn of the untimely and tragic death of Mother Rachel as she was…
Sukkot 5763-2002
"A Sukkah Memory" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Growing up as one of the few Yeshiva students in the East Bronx in the early 1950s was not easy. My non-religious Jewish friends mocked my…
Sukkot 5762-2001
"I'm Dreaming of a Warm Sukkot" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The joyous festival of Sukkot, which begins Monday evening, October 1, expresses the idea of the unity of the Jewish People in a…
Shavuot 5763-2003
"The Remarkable Legacy of Ruth, the Righteous Convert" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Because, this year, the festival of Shavuot falls on Friday and Shabbat, the regular parasha, Naso, is…
Bereshith 5775-2014
“The Sad Destiny of the Firstborn Children” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald A prominent feature of the book of Genesis is the struggle for family leadership between the firstborn and the…
Vayishlach 5775-2014
“She Called His Name ‘Ben Oni’” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, Jacob, after many years of separation, finally reunites with his long-estranged…
World Hello Day
In 1973, Brian and Michael McCormack created World Hello Day as a reaction to the Yom Kippur War. College students at the time, the brothers started a campaign encouraging people to…