Pidyon Ha’ben – Redeeming the Firstborn

“You must redeem the firstborn of a person…when he is one month old, for the value of five silver shekels” (Numbers 18:15-16). God sanctified the firstborn male Israelites when He…

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For The Dogs

Today is National Puppy Day. The domestication of dogs is as old as…well, actually, there are varying scientific opinions. The remains of what seem to be domesticated dogs appear among…

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Passover 5783-2023

“With G-d as Our Partner” (updated and revised from Chol haMoed Passover 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This Shabbat, Shabbat Chol HaMoed Pesach, the regular Torah portion,…

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Lag Ba’Omer

The period of mourning* (for the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died of plague) that is associated with Sefirat Ha’Omer, is observed on the 33rd day of the Omer, a day known as Lag…

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A Scholar and a Playwright

As the epicenter of the Renaissance, Italy was filled with great centers of learning and creativity during the middle centuries of the last millennium. In one of these great centers of…

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Hardened Hearts of a Leader

Upon the death of North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il twelve years ago, the press rehashed what was known about the repressive regime, certainly causing many to wonder how any leader could cause…

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Pidyon Ha’ben – Redeeming the Firstborn

“You must redeem the firstborn of a person…when he is one month old, for the value of five silver shekels” (Numbers 18:15-16). God sanctified the firstborn male Israelites when He…

Read More