Vayikra-Purim 5763-2003
"Parashat Zachor: 'Hating as a Mitzvah?'" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Since the festival of Purim will be celebrated this coming Monday night, March 17th and Tuesday, March 18th, this…
Vayechi 5772-2012
"The Scepter Shall Not Depart from Judah" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayechi, Jacob calls his sons together in order to bless them before he dies. Not…
Emor 5780-2020
“Death, and the Kohanim--the Children of Aaron” (updated and revised from Parashat Emor 5762-2002) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, the…
Counting on You?
Every nation seeks to know how many citizens it has, which can also inform the nation of the quantitative strength of its armed forces. In democratic countries, counting the nation also…
What You Say to the King
Is it okay to malign the leader(s) of the country? In the United States, the concept of freedom of speech allows for a great range of political commentary and criticism. Whether this is…
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
While the Torah tells us that God cursed the descendants of Eve with a natural hatred for snakes, there is no innate reason for people to fear spiders...and yet we do. Big or small, male…
The Tribe of Naphtali
As the ancestors of the tribes of Israel, the lives and personalities of each of the twelve sons of Jacob significantly impact on the history and behavior of the tribe members who…
What’s In The Book: II Samuel
The Second Book of Samuel chronicles the reign of King David. After the death of King Saul, Ish-boshet, Saul’s only surviving son, declared himself king. The Tribe of Judah seceded from…
Abigail
Abigail was not only one of “four exceptionally beautiful women in the world” (Megillah 15a), but was also one of seven women considered by tradition to be a prophetess (Megillah 14a). It…
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…