A Jewish Income Tax?
On February 3, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived,…
Telephone, Gramaphone, Helicopter…Emile Berliner
Emile Berliner (May 20, 1851 – August 3, 1929) came to America to avoid being drafted as a soldier in the Franco-Prussian War. A native of Hanover, Germany, Berliner had trained as a…
Shabbat Chazon
This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of the Vision (prophecy), named after the opening word of the Book of Isaiah, the first 27 verses of which are read as the haftarah on…
Honoring 9/11
Sunday is the 21st anniversary of the devastating attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and several other targets in 2001. There are stories to be told of many heroes. People…
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…
Jews in the Land of Lincoln
The first known Jewish resident of what is now the state of Illinois was John Hays, a grandson of a New York Jew, who moved west to Cahokia, IL in 1793. Hays was a farmer and trader who,…
Serach’s Serenade
Upon perusing the list of the generations of Jacob found in Genesis chapter 46, it is likely to conclude that there was a powerful genetic predisposition in Jacob’s family for male…
Jethro’s Tell
Great leaders are often those who are able to accept criticism. It seems to be, the higher an individual’s position of leadership, the fewer suggestions people are willing to make.…
Torah, To What Can I Compare Thee?
Various biblical verses and rabbinic texts often compare the Torah to different natural resources, in order to teach us about the greatness of the Torah in terms that can be more readily…
Yitro 5783-2023
Yitro 5783-2023 “Why G-d Can Not Share the Limelight” (updated and revised from Yitro 5764-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Yitro, the Al-mighty…