Shelach 5767-2007
"The Ma'ah'peelim: Forcing Their Way Into the Promised Land" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Shelach-Lecha, we read about the "Ma'ah'peelim," the ancient…
Chukat 5765-2005
"Moses gets Battered by the Commentaries" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Chukat, we learn of the sin of May Meriva, Waters of Rebellion, where both…
Sukkot I 5767-2006
"Sukkot - The Festival of Joy" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot is regarded as the most joyous of all the Jewish holidays. In fact, there is not a single reference in the…
Bamidbar 5777-2017
“The Danger of Seeing the Holy Furnishings” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, concludes with G-d’s stern warning to Moses and Aaron forbidding the…
North Star State’s First Jewish Senator
Rudolph Ely Boschwitz was born on November 7, 1930 in Berlin, Germany to his Jewish parents Lucy (Dawidowicz) and Eli. When he was 3, coinciding with Hitler’s rise to power, the Boschwitz…
A Crime of Stalin
In 1981, PEN International (an organization of poets, essayists and novelists advocating for freedom of expression and human rights) declared November 15 as the Day of the Imprisoned…
Jews in the Fold
Yesterday, November 11th, was celebrated internationally as National Origami Day. Origami is a compound Japanese term: ori means folding and kami means paper. Origami was created in the…
Jewish Jeaneology
February 26, celebrated as “Levi Strauss Day,” is the day, in 1829, that marked the birth of the blue jeans icon. Born in Bavaria, Levi Strauss immigrated, along with his mother and two…
Remember 9/11
Spend some time this weekend remembering the heroism and selfless actions of so many on 9/11 and on the days and months that followed the horrific events that will live in infamy.…
North Star State’s First Jewish Senator
Rudolph Ely Boschwitz was born on November 7, 1930, in Berlin, Germany to his Jewish parents Lucy (Dawidowicz) and Eli. When he was 3, coinciding with Hitler’s rise to power, the…