Noah 5762-2001
"The 'Myth' of the Great Flood" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Noah, the story of the flood, is a truly intriguing Torah portion. Secular scholars speak of the story of the flood…
Devarim 5760-2000
"Judaism's Unique Views on Justice and the Justice System" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week, we begin reading Deuteronomy, the final book of the five books of the Torah.…
Kee Tisah 5760-2000
"The 'Vengeful' G-d" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the parasha, Parashat Kee Tisah, we read of the infamous episode of the Golden Calf. In preparation for the Revelation, Moses had gone…
Kee Tisah 5773-2013
"The Vengeful G-d--Revisited" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, we read of the grave sin of the Golden Calf, a trespass that, despite the…
Shemot 5777-2017
"From Whence Shall Come My Salvation?” by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Shemot, is the opening portion of the book of Exodus, also known as Sefer Shemot, the second…
An Historical Dip
Parashat Vayeshev can certainly be a strong candidate for saddest Torah portion of the year, as we encounter the tragedy of the hatred borne by Jacob’s sons for their brother Joseph, the…
Toledot 5767-2006
"The Unanswered Prayer" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Toledot, focuses on the life of the patriarch Isaac and his relationships with his wife, Rebecca and his…
Shavuot 5770-2010
"The Gift that Keeps on Giving" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Because of the holiday, the theme of this Torah message concerns the festival of Shavuot, rather than the weekly Torah portion,…
Belarus, China, Jerusalem and Brooklyn: The Odyssey of the World’s Largest Yeshiva
For 125 years, from 1814 until 1939, the Mir Yeshiva served as a beacon of elite Torah study on the European continent. Situated in the small town of Mir in Belarus, the yeshiva was…
Bereshith 5765-2004
"'Naked' Means More than Naked" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald How exciting to be starting over again! At the earliest opportunity, the year 5765 is ushered in with the reading of the Torah,…