Lech Lecha 5770-2009
"Go for Yourself " by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, the Almighty says to Abram (Genesis 12:1): "Lech l'cha may'ar'tzeh'chah, oo'mee'mo'lahd't'cha,…
Bereshith 5768-2007
"Starting All Over--Again!" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The holidays are over. In ancient times, the farmers would by now have returned to their fields. Contemporary business people have…
Kee Tavo 5769-2009
"Stretch Those Face Muscles!" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, we find the fascinating portion regarding the giving of Bikurim, the season's first…
Re’eh 5764-2004
"Identifying a True Prophet" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Re'eh, the Torah warns the Jewish people not to follow false prophets. The difficulty with this…
Simchat Torah 5767-2006
"The Evolving Holiday" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Simchat Torah is one of the most joyous of the Jewish calendar. In Israel, following the conclusion of the festival of…
Lech Lecha 5768-2007
"The Battle of the Four Kings Against the Five" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, we read about what is generally known as the "Battle of the Four…
Bereshith-Simchat Torah 5766-2005
"P'roo Ur'voo--Jewish Attitudes Towards Procreation" Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald For some parents, the greatest gift in life is having children. For other parents, the greatest challenge, is…
Re’eh 5763-2003
"The Elusive Blessing of 'Peace'" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's Torah portion, Parashat Re'eh, contains some of the most exalted verses in the entire Torah concerning G-d's…
Lech Lecha 5767-2006
"The Souls That Were Made in Haran" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Lech Lecha, the dynamic Abram (his name had not yet been changed to Abraham), enters upon the biblical scene…
Kee Tavo 5766-2006
"Respect for the Person and the Office" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the opening chapter of this week's parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, we read about the ritual of Bikurim -- the gift of…