Matot-Masei 5779-2019

“Jeremiah’s Prophecy: An Ancient Message for Contemporary Times” (Revised and updated from Matot-Masei 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   This Shabbat, when parashiot Matot…

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Shelach 5781-2021

“What’s in a Name?” (updated and revised from Shelach 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s Torah portion, parashat Shelach, the Torah recounts the fateful saga of the…

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Bo 5761-2001

"The Slave Mentality" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parasha, parashat Bo, concludes the narrative of the ten plagues by recounting the final three plagues, locusts,…

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Shelach 5762-2002

"What's in a Name?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's Torah portion, parashat Shelach, the Torah tells of the twelve men who were sent to scout the land of Canaan, and…

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Devarim 5775-2015

“Looking Through the Pain, Toward a Bright Future” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With this week’s parasha, parashat Devarim, we begin reading the fifth and final book of the Torah, the…

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Oh Goodness

“He [Rabbi Akiva] said:... The world is judged with goodness, and everything depends on the abundance of good deeds” (Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers 3:19). God judges the world with…

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Water, On the Rocks

Reams of text have been written about the one seeming error in Moses’ life - the one act for which he was prohibited from entering the Land of Israel. This was an incident recorded in…

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A Time Without

Death is part of life, and Jewish law provides guidelines both for dealing with death and for avoiding the spiritual diminution associated with death. When a person mourns another's…

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Bo 5781-2021

“The Slave Mentality” (updated and revised from Bo 5761–2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Bo, concludes the Torah’s narrative of parashat Va’eira, of the…

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Oh Goodness

“He [Rabbi Akiva] said: … The world is judged with goodness, and everything depends on the abundance of good deeds” (Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers 3:19). God judges the world with…

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