Shemot 5760-1999
"Commitment to Judaism: A lesson from Moshe" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shemot, we encounter one of the most challenging situations of…
Sukkot 5784-2023
“Worshiping G-d Wholeheartedly” (updated and revised from Sukkot 5765-2004) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald There is a wonderful Sukkot story told about the Vilna Gaon, who was the foremost…
Sukkot 5770-2009
"Sukkot: The Dialectic of a Festival" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot is referred to in the Torah (Exodus 34:22) as "Chag Ha'ah'sif," the festival of the ingathering. It…
Sukkot 5765-2004
"Worshiping G-d Wholeheartedly" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald There is a wonderful Sukkot story told about the Gaon of Vilna, Rabbi Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, 1720-1797, who was the foremost…
Sukkot II 5777-2016
“Why is Sukkot Celebrated in the Fall rather than in the Spring?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Torah, in Leviticus 23:42-43, states, בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; כָּל…
Best-Seller
For a high school drop-out who failed English three times, Leon Uris had an outstanding career as a best-selling author. The Baltimore born (August 3, 1924) son of a Jewish paperhanger…
“In Every Generation” 1903
This Passover, Jews around the world will recite: “In every generation, our enemies rise up to destroy us.” Passover, Purim, Chanukah, the Inquisition, the Holocaust...we are well aware…
Parasha of the Month
This Shabbat is Parashat HaChodesh, the Sabbath of “The Month.” The Torah portion that is read as the Maftir (additional reading) after the conclusion of the reading…
The Birth and Death of Moses
One of the 13 principles of faith according to Maimonides is believing that Moses was the greatest of all the Jewish prophets. He was so great, that God feared he would be…
Leap Year
The Gregorian solar calendar used by the Western world, is based on the cycle of the sun. The tropical (solar) year is 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 16 seconds. Thus every four years…