Balak 5781-2021
"Words of Eternal Truth from the Evil Prophet Bilaam” (updated and revised from Balak 5761-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Balak, we encounter Balak,…
Minsk, Pinsk and Dvinsk?
Dvinsk, also known as Daugavpils or Duenaburg, is Latvia’s second largest city, situated 140 miles southeast of Riga, Latvia’s capital (Dvinsk is the city’s Russian name). Dvinsk became a…
How Now, Red Cow
Every year, on the first or second Shabbat following Purim, a special reading from Numbers 19, is added to the regular Shabbat Torah reading. Known as “Parashat Parah,” the Torah reading…
The Battle of Kibbutz Yad Mordechai
At the time of the Declaration of the State of Israel (May 14, 1948), Kibbutz Yad Mordechai was a five-year-old settlement, ten kilometers south of Ashkelon, just north of the Gaza…
Minsk, Pinsk and Dvinsk?
Dvinsk, also known as Daugavpils or Duenaburg, is Latvia’s second largest city, situated 140 miles southeast of Riga, Latvia’s capital (Dvinsk is the city’s Russian name). Dvinsk became a…
Using A Live Virus
Mention the polio vaccine and most people think of Jonas Salk. The fact is, however, that the polio vaccine used today is actually based on the work of another Jewish physician, Albert…
Haazinu 5783-2022
“The Final Song” (updated and revised from Haazinu 1999-5759) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Haazinu, features the final song which Moses sings before his…
Lift Their Spirits!
Share a joke or two with a friend or family member going through a rough period, to lift their spirits and make them laugh! While it’s certainly true that humor can help raise a person’s…
Record the Memories
If there are Holocaust survivors in your family or in your community, make sure to speak with them and record their stories. While it is impossible to compare the trials and tribulations…
What’s the Complaint?
People always like to complain. It is a fact. Sometimes they have legitimate complaints and sometimes they don’t. Suffice it to say, however, that most often the reaction to the complaint…