Back to School
With Labor Day behind us, most of the country’s children now return to school. Some jurisdictions begin the school year in August to avoid having classes during the heat of June. Of…
Facing Adulthood as a Nation
Most governments recognize age 18 as the age of legal adulthood at which a person assumes full responsibility for his/her life. They no longer need a parent or guardian’s permission for…
Sabbath Prayers: Ein Keh’lo’hay’nu/There Is None Like Our God
There is no one (or thing) like God, and, when all is said and done, this is the essence of everything that a Jew says and does. Only God can create the world. Only God can be master of…
Kee Tisah 5776-2016
“Moses Pleads on Behalf of the People of Israel” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, features the infamous sin of the Golden Calf. The Al-mighty…
Sources Commentators
Abarbanel (1437-1508, Spanish statesman, philosopher and commentator) Israel Abrahams (1858-1925) Achad Ha’Am (Asher Zvi Hirsh Ginsberg, 1856-1927) AJOP (Association for Jewish Outreach…
Bechukotai,Weekly Message,Behar
Behar-Bechukotai 5764-2004
"The Revolutionary Nature of Shemita and Yovel" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In the first of this week's double parashiot, parashat Behar, we encounter the remarkable laws of Shemita--the…
The Royal Family and the Jews
On February 6, 1952, Queen Elizabeth II assumed the throne of “the United Kingdom and her other realms and Territories” upon the death of her father, King George VI. While the Queen is…
Shoftim 5763-2003
"Astrology, Witchcraft and Spiritualism in Judaism" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's Torah portion, Parashat Shoftim, the Torah describes the vital role of the prophet. Moses…
Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5762-2002
"The Promise of Total Return" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parashiot, Nitzavim and Vayeilech, are among the final parashiot of the book of Deuteronomy and contain the…