Weekly Message,Vayeira

Vayeira 5778-2017

“The Alliance with Abimelech” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Vayeira, is a rich parasha containing many important topics, including the destruction of Sodom,…

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Acharei Mot,Weekly Message

Acharei Mot 5779-2019

“The Forbidden Relationships Work Both Ways” (Revised and updated from Acharei Mot 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s parasha, parashat Acharei Mot, we…

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Weekly Message,Sukkot

Sukkot 5780-2019

“A Sukkot Story: Devotion to a Festival” (Updated and revised from Sukkot 5761-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The famed Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin records the unusual story concerning…

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Weekly Message,Va'etchanan,Tisha b'Av

Va’etchanan-Tisha B’Av 5768-2008

"A Hopeful Message for Jewish Future" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Va'etchanan, we find the well-known citation from Deuteronomy 4:25-40, "Kee to'leed…

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Jewish Treats

From Them I Learned

Our modern media culture likes to "label" successful people: The richest person, the prettiest person, the person of the year and etc. And because our culture is so influenced by the…

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Jewish Treats

The Great Shabbat

The Shabbat immediately preceding Passover is known as Shabbat HaGadol, the Great Shabbat. It is best known for being the Shabbat on which the rabbi of the community (or another…

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Jewish Treats

Ushpeezin (Oo’shpee’zin)

During the festival of Sukkot, the sukkah is intended to be our home. For example, since one would normally dine in the house, on Sukkot one dines in the sukkah. Because the sukkah is…

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Jewish Treats

Burying The Dead

An unusually large body of Jewish law is concerned with interpersonal relationships, teaching how to properly respect each person, since all of humankind is created b’tzelem…

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Jewish Treats

Kristallnacht

Kristallnacht, literally the Night of Crystal but generally translated as the Night of Broken Glass, was a tragic turning point in the fate of Germany’s Jewish community. The country-wide…

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Jewish Treats

Nittel Nacht

Jews of the 21st century may comment, or even grumble, about the pervasiveness of Christmas in our society, but, let's be honest, in this day and age, the effects of the holiday season…

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