Weekly Message,Shemot

Shemot 5781-2021

“The Not-So-Obvious Process of Hebrew Enslavement” (revised and updated from parashat Shemot 5761-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   In this week’s parasha, parashat Shemot, we…

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Jewish Treats

The Eyes Have It

January is Eye Care Month! Close to 2,000 years ago, the importance of treating even basic eye disease was recorded in the Talmud (Shabbat 108b), where the rabbis debate what one may do…

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Jewish Treats

National Freedom Day

Today, February 1st, is both National Freedom Day and the first day of Black History Month National Freedom Day was initially advocated for by Major Richard Robert Wright Sr. (1855-1947),…

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Jewish Treats

For Your Jewish Mother

If one were to believe the jokes, Jewish mothers enjoy nothing more than nagging their children to eat, encouraging grown children to get married and bragging about the children’s…

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Jewish Treats

Why Were Scouts of the Promised Land Needed?

The most devastating punishment meted out by God in the Torah is described in this week’s Torah portion, parashat Shelach. God commands Moses to send 12 scouts – one representing each…

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Jewish Treats

On the 25th of Kislev

It is not uncommon to find that significant events in Jewish history occurred in different years but on the same day on the Jewish calendar. For instance, Tisha b’Av (9th of Av), the day…

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Jewish Treats

A Day That Will Live in Infamy

In one of the 20th century’s most memorable and impactful speeches, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, “A Day that will live in infamy,” due to the deadly…

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Jewish Treats

A Jar of Manna

As discussed in this coming week’s Torah Portion, parashat B’shalach, while the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, there were few things more miraculous than the manna, the food from…

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Jewish Treats

On the Wings of Eagles

In Exodus 19, God instructs Moses to address the Children of Israel and to say to them: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to…

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Jewish Treats

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…

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