Pinchas 5764-2004
"The Conundrum of Pinchas: Do His Actions Set an Unacceptable Precedent?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Pinchas, we encounter the final chapter of…
Matot-Masei 5763-2003
"The Massacre of the Midianites: Does Judaism Countenance Genocide?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald We have learned in Parashat Balak that Balaam finally realized that the Jews could not…
Rosh Hashana 5761-2000
"The Judgment of Ishmael and its Contemporary Implications for all of G-d's Creatures" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Because this coming Shabbat is Rosh Hashana, the normal weekly Torah…
Shavuot 5770-2010
"The Gift that Keeps on Giving" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Because of the holiday, the theme of this Torah message concerns the festival of Shavuot, rather than the weekly Torah portion,…
Shavuot 5765-2005
"Abba's Final Shavuot" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Our father, of blessed memory, Moshe Aaron Buchwald, whom my sisters and I called "Abba," passed away on the 14th of Sivan 5752, June 15,…
Chukat-Balak 5760-2000
"History Repeats Itself! Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week our Torah portions are doubled. We read both parsahiot Chukat and Balak. Parashat…
Vayishlach 5774-2013
"The Death of Deborah, Rebecca’s Nurse" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, after the traumatic rape of Dina in Shechem and the revenge at the hands…
Terumah 5774-2014
“The Shulchan--Much More Than Just a Table” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Terumah, the Children of Israel are asked to donate the necessary materials to be…
Passover II /Final Days 5778-2018
“Passover: The Final Days ” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald According to the Torah (Numbers 28:16-25), there are seven official days of Passover. In Israel, the first day and the final…
Emor 5779-2019
“The Gift of Celebration” (Revised and updated from Emor 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The second half of this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, presents a review of most of the…