Kee Teitzei 5773-2013
"The ‘Mitzvah’ of Divorce, Revisited" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Teitzei, speaks of the "mitzvah" of divorce. Although we have previously discussed the…
Lech Lecha 5774-2013
"Setting the Stage for the Jewish Future" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, the Torah tells of the exploits of Abraham and Sarah. The remarkable…
Emor 5774-2014
“The Sadducees and the Counting of the Omer” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Among the 63 mitzvot (24 positive and 39 negative) found in this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, is the mitzvah of…
Mikeitz 5775-2014
“Why Did Joseph, the Viceroy of Egypt, Never Contact His Aged Father?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Mikeitz, Joseph, the poor Hebrew slave boy who had…
Passover 5775-2015
“Learning to Revere G-d” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald There is a fascinating debate in the Passover Hagaddah regarding the number of plagues that struck the Egyptians at the sea. We are…
Kee Teitzei 5775-2015
“When a Brother Dies Childless” In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Teitzei, we learn the law of the “levirate marriage,” known in Hebrew as יִבּוּם, “Yee’boom.” "Yee’boom" is the…
Vayishlach 5776-2015
“Jacob Tarries in Succot” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, Jacob sends messengers ahead of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir to…
Va’eira 5776-2016
“The Lessons of Genealogy” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Va’eira, we learn of the noble family background of Moses and Aaron, who would soon emerge to lead…
Kee Tisah 5776-2016
“Moses Pleads on Behalf of the People of Israel” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, features the infamous sin of the Golden Calf. The Al-mighty…
Bereshith 5777-2016
“The Decline and Fall of Humankind” by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald With this week’s parasha, parashat Bereshith, we begin, once again, to read the first of the Five Books of Moses--the Book of…