Favoritism
“A person should never discriminate among his children even to the extent of a thread [garment] weighing only two weight-measures of silk, similar to that which Jacob gave to Joseph but…
Lag Ba’Omer
The period of mourning* (for the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died of plague) that is associated with Sefirat Ha’Omer, is not observed on the 33rd day of the Omer, a day known as…
Oh Goodness
“He [Rabbi Akiva] said: … The world is judged with goodness, and everything depends on the abundance of good deeds” (Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers 3:19). God judges the world with…
Rav Saadia Gaon
Rabbi Saadia ben Joseph, known by the appellation Rav Saadia Gaon (Gaon, meaning light, was the honorific title given to the religious leader of the Jewish community in Babylon) is best…
Not So Freedom Summer
On June 21, 1964, one of the most heinous and scandalous murders took place in U.S. history, shocking the country. Andrew Goodman, 21, a native of the Upper West Side of Manhattan,…
Don’t be Quarrelsome
Aaron, the first High Priest of the Jewish people, was renowned for his efforts to make peace between his fellow Jews (“Be among the disciples of Aaron, love peace and pursue peace…”-…
Tu b’Av and the Offering of Wood
Tu b’Av, the fifteenth of Av, which is today, was celebrated in ancient times by unmarried maidens who went out on this day to dance in the vineyards hoping to be chosen by an unmarried…
Can You Say A Little Prayer For Me?
It states in the Talmud, “Rabbi Pinchas ben Hama gave the following exposition, ‘Whosoever has a sick person in his house should go to a tzaddik (righteous person) who will invoke…
Kee Tavo 5782-2022
“Watch Out for Laban, He’s More Dangerous than Pharaoh!” (updated and revised from Kee Tavo 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Kee Tavo is an “ominous” parasha. It is one…
Mikeitz 5783-2022
“In Those Days, in These Times” (updated and revised from Mikeitz 5763-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we have previously noted, the story of Joseph may be seen as the story of an…