The First Jewish Lawyer
The study of law appears to attract a disproportionate number of Jews, perhaps because expounding arguments, pro and con, is one of the great pleasures of Talmudic discourse. In fact, one…
Conflicting Torah Laws
What should one do when two Torah laws seem to be in conflict? One of the most common examples of such a situation is in the commandment to honor one’s mother and father. This law…
The Law of the Land
For nearly 2000 years, the Jewish people have been in exile. During this time, Jews have lived in nearly every country and under nearly every form of government, while, at the same time,…
The Laws of Inheritance
The Torah’s listing of the laws of the inheritance are quite brief, a mere four lines (Numbers 27:8-11): “If a man dies with no sons, then his inheritance goes to his daughter(s). If he…
An Eye For Civil Law
You’ve heard the phrase “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand...” And you’ve likely heard frightening stories of societies in which this biblical rule is applied…
A Look At The Law
There are three types of laws in the Torah...mishpatim, edot and chukim: Mishpatim are basic laws. In fact, mishpatim are generally translated as those laws which are necessary and…
Emor 5784-2024
“The Counting of the Omer and the Celebration of Israel’s Independence” (updated and revised from Emor 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Emor,…
Thank You Mom
Mother’s Day is a day set aside to show the moms in our lives how much we appreciate them. It’s a sweet and wonderful idea…but according to the Torah, every day is Mother’s Day! The very…
First You and Then You
From a broad perspective, the opportunity for all members of a prayer service to participate in a Torah reading service is an important statement on Jewish inclusion. In reality, however,…