Korach 5772-2012
"Jealousy, Lust, and Thirst for Honor" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Korach, we read of the contentious rebellion of Korach and his cohorts, and its…
Tazria 5776-2016
“Heavenly Reminders” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Tazria, focuses on the Biblical malady known as צָרַעַת--Tzara'at, often incorrectly identified as……
Of Shamrocks, Snails and Survivors: the life of Rabbi Isaac Herzog
Rabbi Isaac Herzog, the State of Israel’s first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi, passed away, at age 70, on this date - the 19th of Tammuz – sixty years ago, in 1959, corresponding to July 25th.…
Return of the Dead
The relationship of the living and the dead is an oft debated topic by the sages. Judaism firmly believes that, post mortem, a person's neshama (soul) goes to an afterworld…
Treating Holy Papers
One modern philosophy that might have caught your attention is conscientious living. This concept centers on increasing one’s awareness. In many ways, living according to Jewish law…
Seeing Through Deceptions
The Exodus from Egypt, which culminated in the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, was a defining moment in Jewish history. Not only does the Torah narrate the events of the Exodus, but,…
Return of the Dead?
The relationship of the living and the dead is an oft debated topic by the sages. Judaism firmly believes that, post mortem, a person's neshama (soul) goes to an afterworld known as Olam…
Sukkot 5782-2021
“A Sukkah Memory” (updated and revised from Sukkot 5763-2002) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Growing up as one of the few religious Yeshiva students in the East Bronx in the early 1950s was…