Drinking on Purim

Drinking on Purim “A person should drink on Purim until the point where they cannot tell the difference between…

Light and Happiness

What is the connection between the holiday of Purim and Havdalah, the ceremonial conclusion of Shabbat? The simple answer is the single verse from the Book of Esther that is recited by…

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Purim Drinking

"A person should drink on Purim up to the point where they cannot tell the difference between ‘Blessed is Mordechai' and ‘Cursed is Haman'” (Megillah 7a). What does the Talmud mean by…

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She Was A Harlot

It sounds like a classic melodrama: A harlot endangers her life to protect two desperate spies, and, when the city falls, she ends up marrying the conquering leader. The harlot’s name was…

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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…

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Tetzaveh 5780-2020

“The True Story of Purim” (updated and revised from Tetzaveh 5761-2001)   by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week’s parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, speaks of the fashioning of the…

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Can You Be The Tenth?

That the Hebrew word "minyan" derives from the infinitive "lim'not," to count or number, is not at all surprising. A minyan is a quorum of 10, the smallest number necessary to create a…

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Boo!

At tonight's Megillah reading, don't forget to drown out the name of Haman, but also remember it's a mitzvah to hear every word of the Megillah.

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Simchat Torah 5784-2023

“The Evolving Holiday” (updated and revised from Simchat Torah 5767-2006) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The festival of Simchat Torah is one of the most joyous on the Jewish calendar. In…

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Make it a Meaningful Purim

Consider following a directive from Maimonides for the celebration of Purim: In his Mishneh Torah (Laws of Megillah and Chanukah 2:17), he writes: “It is preferable to spend more money…

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