Weekly Message,Devarim

Devarim 5778-2018

“The Final Rebuke"   With this week’s parasha, parashat Devarim, we begin to read the fifth and final book of the Torah. The book of Deuteronomy is known in rabbinic literature as…

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Kedoshim,Weekly Message

Kedoshim 5763-2003

"Giving Proper Reproof" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Kedoshim, we encounter the well-known Biblical dictum recorded in Leviticus 19:17: "Lo tis'nah…

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Kedoshim,Weekly Message

Kedoshim 5782-2022

“Giving Proper Reproof” (updated and revised from Kedoshim 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kedoshim, we encounter the well-known Biblical dictum,…

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Jewish Treats

How To Be Holy

God instructs Moses to tell the Jewish people: “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). How does one make oneself holy? The remaining 35 verses of…

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Jewish Treats

Cheer Up The Lonely

The most frequently cited cause for the destruction of the Second Temple is Sinat Chinam, best translated as senseless hatred. The in-fighting among the Jews of Judea, not only weakened…

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Re'eh,Weekly Message

Re’eh 5762-2002

"Changing and Updating Jewish Law" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Re'eh, we encounter a fascinating law known in rabbinic literature as Shmitat…

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Re'eh,Weekly Message

Re’eh 5780-2020

Re'eh 5780-2020 “Changing and Updating Jewish Law” (updated and revised from parashat Re’eh 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Re’eh, we encounter a…

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Jewish Treats

Keeping Ethical

Pirkei Avot is commonly translated as Ethics of Our Fathers because many of its statements focus on ethical behavior. For those striving to be ethical, “Nittai the Arbelite says:…

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Jewish Treats

Avoid The Court of Sodom

Every once in a while, there are outlandish news reports that make people shake their heads, sigh, and wonder what the world is coming to. Preposterous stories such as a homeowner being…

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Jewish Treats

The Original Employee Discount

Those who work in retail are often compensated with a special employee discount on goods sold in the store. In the days before retail, when the majority of the population worked in…

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