Article VI
September 17 is Constitution Day, in honor of the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1787. The Constitution was a radical document at that time, and one of the most unique…
Rights in Connecticut
At the time that Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution on January 9, 1788, the fifth state of the United States was not particularly welcoming to Jews or anyone else who was not…
Tetzaveh 5770-2010
"The Central Role of the Golden Altar and the Incense" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The order of the Torah's instructions, regarding the furnishings of the Tabernacle and the vestments…
Tetzaveh 5773-2013
“The Centrality of Light” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, speaks at length of the priestly vestments. The parasha closes with a description of the…
Vayikra 5776 -2016
“The Gifts of the Kohanim-the Priests” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Vayikra, focuses on the animal sacrifices that were brought in both the Tabernacle and,…
Tazria,Weekly Message,Metzorah
Tazria-Metzorah 5769-2009
"And He Shall be Brought to the Priest" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In each of this week's double parashiot, Tazria and Metzora, we encounter similar verses asserting that a person…
Sukkot I 5767-2006
"Sukkot - The Festival of Joy" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot is regarded as the most joyous of all the Jewish holidays. In fact, there is not a single reference in the…
Tetzaveh 5778-2018
“The Brothers: Moses and Aaron” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Tetzaveh deals almost exclusively with the Kehuna, the office of the priesthood. It focuses on the priests’…
Shemini 5780-2020
“The Responsibilities of Leadership” (Revised and updated from Parashat Shemini 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the opening chapters of this week’s parasha, parashat…
Genesis,Va'etchanan,Weekly Message
Va’etchanan 5772-2012
"The Magic of the Mezuzah" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Va’etchanan, we encounter the first of two textual references to the mitzvah of mezuzah that are…