Chukat 5772-2012
"It is a Decree Before Me–-You Have No Right to Question It!" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Chukat, we encounter one of the most enigmatic laws of the…
Genesis,Weekly Message,Vayishlach
Vayishlach 5773-2012
"Gid Ha’nasheh: The Sinew of the Thigh" By Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, after twenty two years of fleeing from his brother Esau, who had…
Shemini 5773-2013
"Authentic Religious Ecstasy" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shemini, we read of the tragic deaths of Aaron’s elder sons, Nadav and Abihu. When describing…
Toledot 5774-2013
"A Revolutionary Definition of Parenthood" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Toledot, opens with a genealogy of the family of Isaac and his wife Rebecca, and the…
Shemot 5774-2013
“G-d Recognizes His Peoples’ Sufferings” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shemot, the enslavement of the Children of Israel by the Egyptians begins in…
Behar 5774-2014
“So That Your Brother May Live With You” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald One of the dominant themes of parashat Behar is the Torah’s concern with those who are impoverished--to provide help…
Shoftim 5774-2014
“Justice--the Source of Security of the Land of Israel” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Shoftim, calls upon the People of Israel to formally establish courts of…
Yom Kippur 5775-2014
“The High Priest’s Dilemma–What to Wear on Yom Kippur?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Torah reading from Leviticus 16:1-34 that is read on Yom Kippur morning in synagogues throughout…
Mikeitz 5776-2015
“Joseph’s Bold Advice to Pharaoh-–Revisited” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Mikeitz, Joseph, the Hebrew slave boy, is hurried from the dungeon to stand…
Kedoshim 5776-2016
“Tattoos" In Parashat Kedoshim the Torah proclaims the prohibition of making cuts on one’s skin as a sign of mourning and forbids drawing permanent tattoos on the body. Scripture, in…