Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5769-2009
"Blood–the Essence of Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Tzav, the Torah declares rather definitively, (Leviticus 7:26), "V'chol dahm lo toch'loo b'chol mohsh'voh'taychem,"…
Tetzaveh 5769-2009
"The Urim and Tumim--The Mysterious Priestly Accessory" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, is concerned primarily with the vestments of the priests.…
Naso 5768-2008
"Carrying the Ark" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Naso, we learn that the completed Tabernacle was sanctified and inaugurated for its first use. In order to…
Shoftim 5761-2001
"Security for Citizens and Caring for Guests" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shoftim, Deuteronomy 21, we encounter the ritual of the Eglah Arufah,…
Yom Kippur 5766-2005
"Sharing the Blanket" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Rambam (Maimonides, the great Jewish philosopher, codifier and physician, 1135-1204), states in The Laws of Teshuva, chapter 3, that…
Emor 5771-2011
"Sanctifying and Defiling G-d’s Name" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, we encounter two prominent pronouncements that serve as foremost guideposts for…
Va'etchanan,Weekly Message,Genesis
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…
Yom Kippur,Weekly Message,Vayeilech
Vayeilech-Yom Kippur 5773-2012
“The Limits of Free Will” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald During the period of the Ten Days of Penitence, and especially with the imminent arrival of Yom Kippur, it is most appropriate to…
Vayigash 5773-2012
"Is My Father Still Alive?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayigash, we read of one of the most dramatic moments in the Torah, when Joseph finally reveals…
Bo 5773-2013
"Interfacing with the Non-Jewish World" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bo, we read of the last three plagues--locusts, darkness and the death of the…