Terumah 5779-2019
“The Mishkan: Underscoring the Centrality of the Home in Jewish Life” (Revised and updated from Terumah 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s parasha, parashat…
Re’eh 5765-2005
"The Sanctity of Land and its Implications" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Among the topics discussed in this coming week's parasha, parashat Re'eh, is the sanctity of the Land of Israel.…
Terumah 5766-2006
"Make for Me a Sanctuary, And I Shall Dwell in Their Midst" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Terumah, G-d tells Moses to instruct the Jewish people to…
Re’eh 5783-2023
"The Sanctity of Land and its Implications” (updated and revised from Re’eh 5765-2005) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Among the topics discussed in this week’s parasha, parashat…
Balak 5761-2001
"Words of Eternal Truth from the Evil Prophet Bilaam" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Balak, we encounter Balak, the King of Moab, soliciting the…
Passover: The Second Days 5768-2008
"Counting the Omer" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In parashat Emor, we learn of the mitzvah of counting the Omer. Leviticus 23:15-16 declares: "Oosfartem lachem mee'macharat…
Pekudei 5771-2011
"The Meaning of the Priestly Vestments" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Pekudei, opens with a full accounting of the precious metals-–gold, silver and…
Beauty and the Bess
On December 14, 2014, one of the most talked-about American Jews from the 1940s passed away. Bess Myerson, born in the Bronx on July 16, 1924, became the first and only Jewish "Miss…
Who Was Hagar?
Stating simply that Hagar was the second wife of Abraham and the mother of Ishmael simplifies an incredibly complex character whose emotions and motivations are fleshed out in the Oral…
Happy National Hugging Day
On January 21, 1986, Kevin Zaborney of Clio, Michigan, created “National Hugging Day”. It is observed annually on January 21st. Zaborney felt that “American society is embarrassed to show…