Kedoshim 5776-2016
“Tattoos" In Parashat Kedoshim the Torah proclaims the prohibition of making cuts on one’s skin as a sign of mourning and forbids drawing permanent tattoos on the body. Scripture, in…
Chukat 5777-2017
“Moses’ Painful Words of Comfort” Among the diverse themes found in parashat Chukat, we learn of the death of Aaron. According to tradition, on the first day of Av, in the fortieth and…
Terumah 5778-2018
“The Cherubs” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Terumah, we read of the many and varied materials that were donated by the people to build the Mishkan, the…
Moses’ Mysterious and Mortal Maternity
Moses is arguably the central and most important figure in the Hebrew Bible. Maimonides advances that of the 55 Jewish prophets, Moses’ type of prophecy was quite different and far more…
Monsters In The Family
To much of the American populace, tonight [Halloween] is a night of goblins and ghouls, vampires and witches. These monsters are actually characters found in old myths and fairytales.…
Toledot 5764-2003
"The Theological Underpinnings of Anti-Semitism" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In our previous study of parashat Toledot for the year 5761-2000, we analyzed the ancient origins and…
Toledot 5784-2023
Urgent message: Given the most challenging situation in Israel at this time, I urge all to pray for the bereaved families, the hostages, the missing and the many casualties. Please try…
Re'eh,Weekly Message,Deuteronomy
Re’eh 5766-2006
"Adding or Subtracting" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Re'eh is a rich and colorful parasha that contains 55 mitzvot, 17 positive and 38 negative. Among the most intriguing of the…
Lech Lecha 5762-2001
"Understanding Ishmael" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, we encounter the birth of Abrams's oldest son, Ishmael. The bible, in Genesis 15, tells…
Devarim 5763-2003
"The Gentle Reproof" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week, we begin reading the fifth book of the Torah, known as Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew. The book of Devarim is also called…