Emor 5767-2007
"Waiting Until the Eighth Day" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The opening portion of parashat Emor highlights the rules governing the lifestyle and comportment of the Cohanim (priests).…
Emor 5761-2001
"The Gift of Celebration" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the second half of this week's parasha, parashat Emor, there is a review of most of the Biblical festivals of the Jewish…
Terumah-Purim 5761-2001
"Amalek, Purim and the Mitzvah of Getting Drunk" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parasha, parashat Terumah, coincides with Parashat Zachor, the special reading from…
Vayakhel 5768-2008
"Rochel the Riveter" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Vayakhel, continues the excruciatingly detailed description of the building of the Tabernacle and its…
B’ha’alot’cha 5763-2003
"The Message of the Manna" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, we encounter the A'saf'suf, the mixed multitude, who were dissatisfied with the Manna, the food that has…
Chukat-Balak 5760-2000
"History Repeats Itself! Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This week our Torah portions are doubled. We read both parashiot Chukat and Balak. Parashat…
Balak 5765-2005
"Bilaam, Prophet to the Nations" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Jews and their philosophers have long been troubled by the concept of "Chosenness." So uncomfortable were the people and…
Rosh Hashana 5767-2006
"The Longest Day" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald If you were asked, what day is the longest day of the year, you would most likely respond that it is on or about June 21st of each year. This…
Shavuot 5760-2000
"The Anonymous Holiday" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This Thursday night, Friday and Shabbat, we will celebrate the joyous festival of Shavuot. On the Hebrew calender it is the sixth and…
Vayechi 5768-2007
"The Struggle Over the Birthright" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The struggle over the birthright is a recurring theme throughout the book of Genesis: Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac,…