Two Pillars of Five
Jewish law, and thus Jewish life, rests on two pillars, the mitzvot between a person and God and the mitzvot between one person and another. These two pillars of law are laid out in the…
Bamidbar,Shavuot,Weekly Message
Bamidbar-Shavuot 5778-2018
“Counting a Very Special People” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With this week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, Jews throughout the world begin reading the fourth book of the Torah,…
Three Times Strong
The beauty of Jewish living is that it often strives to bring together the spiritual and the practical. Judaism is a growth-oriented religion. At the same time, it is also a religion of…
Courland Jews, an Interesting History
There is no country by the name of Courland, but there is a historical subset of Latvian Jews known as Courland Jews. Their distinction comes from the connection in the 19th century of…
The Second Passover
On the first anniversary of the Exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel prepared to celebrate their first Passover as free people. God decreed that they should eat matzah and maror…
Book Respect
Because of the centrality of the Torah in Jewish life, the Jewish people are known as “The People of the Book.” Perhaps the Jewish people could also be known as “The People of the…
Tap on the Head
The history of the Jews of Spain is one of glory and fear. By the end of the 15th century, Jewish life was something celebrated in dark cellars with the ever-present fear of discovery.…
Passover 5778-2018
Originally Published 5774-2014 “The Opening Act” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As every good scriptwriter, playwright or novelist knows, the opening act of a television presentation, a…
Educating American Girls
When Vichna Kaplan (1913 - 1986) arrived in America in 1937, her experiences confirmed the country’s reputation as a place where Jewish tradition was in danger. This was particularly true…