Your Jewish Life Coach
Do you have a life coach? For those unfamiliar with the term, life coaches work to help their clients determine and achieve their personal goals. While life coaching as a profession in…
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…
Top of the Class
Among the scholars quoted in Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers, are clusters of sages who are interconnected whether due to being from the same city, are part of the same generation or…
A Trap of Wealth
If I were a rich man…The most important men in town will come to fawn on me…When you’re rich they think you really know… The now classic words from the Broadway show “Fiddler on the Roof”…
Mourning Jerusalem I: A Brief History of the First Temple
Next Wednesday night and Thursday (July 26th and 27th), Jews the world over will be observing the fast of Tisha b’Av. It is on this day of the Hebrew calendar that the Jewish people mourn…
Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue
The directive to create a judicial system is set out in this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, in Deuteronomy 16:18-20. God commands the Israelites to appoint judges and law enforcement…
Kee Teitzei 5783-2023
“The Torah’s ‘Secret’ for Longevity” (updated and revised from Kee Teitzei 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we have previously noted, this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Teitzei,…
People of the Book
Instill within your family a sense of the importance for Jewish education not only during one's formative years but throughout one's life. In the beginning of the sixth chapter of Pirkei…
Taking Stock and Moving Forward
Utilize this Shabbat, known as Shabbat Shuva, to contemplate how to repent for prior transgressions and how to improve going forward. We are taught in Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers,…
Know Your Matriarchs
Study the Torah and its commentaries to appreciate the special qualities that the Matriarchs possessed. A closer look at the life of our Matriarch Sarah, details a difficult life, one…