Vayechi 5767-2007
"Lessons in Child Rearing from the Patriarch Jacob" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayechi, Jacob's life draws to a close. Jacob insists that his son,…
Vayigash 5763-2002
"Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers: The Triumph of Jewish Identity" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In a very real sense, the story of Joseph, as depicted in parashat Vayigash, is the…
Shavuot 5769-2009
"Mother of Royalty" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In I Kings 2:19, we read that Queen Bathsheba, the mother of the recently coronated King Solomon, came to speak to Solomon regarding his…
Yitro 5772-2012
"Who is the Real Jethro?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Jethro, a man of great stature and distinction, is first encountered in the Bible in Exodus 2:16. The Torah describes Jethro as…
Re’eh 5773-2013
"How Far Must We Go to Avoid Evil?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Re’eh, we learn of the Biblical command that the People of Israel must destroy all…
Lech Lecha 5774-2013
"Setting the Stage for the Jewish Future" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, the Torah tells of the exploits of Abraham and Sarah. The remarkable…
Bechukotai,Behar,Weekly Message
Behar-Bechukotai 5778-2018
“Torah From Sinai” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The opening verses of parashat Behar, the first of this week’s combined parashiyot, Behar and Bechukotai, speak of the laws of Shemitah,…
Kee Tavo 5779-2019
“Welcoming the Stranger” (Revised and updated from Kee Tavo 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tavo,opens with the ritual of bringing בִּכּוּרִים…
Devarim 5770-2010
"On That Day the Lord Shall Be One and His Name One" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The book of Deuteronomy, known in Hebrew as Devarim, opens with the people now standing at the border of…
The Burial at Betar
In war, a common means of humiliating the enemy is to refuse them burial of their dead (which is forbidden by the Geneva Convention). Certainly, demoralization was the goal of the Romans…