The Antidote for Baseless Hatred
The calendrical period between the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz and the Fast of Tisha b'Av is known as Bein Hame'tzarim (in the midst of distress) and is referred to colloquially as the…
Smashing the Tablets
The sages declare that five tragedies occurred on the Seventeenth of Tammuz, which is why the day is observed as a fast day. Days of what we might now call "bad karma" (on which bad…
Pinchas 5780-2020
“The Pain of Giving Reproof” (Updated and revised from Parashat Pinchas 5761-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald On Thursday, July 9th, Jews the world over will observe the fast of Shivah…
Can You Be The Tenth?
That the Hebrew word "minyan" derives from the infinitive "lim'not," to count or number, is not at all surprising. A minyan is a quorum of 10, the smallest number necessary to create a…
Chukat-Balak 5780-2020
“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose--History Repeats Itself!” (Updated and revised from Parashiot Chukat-Balak 5760-2000) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah…
A Trap of Wealth
If I were a rich man...The most important men in town will come to fawn on me...When you're rich they think you really know... The now classic words from the Broadway show "Fiddler on the…
Korach 5780-2020
“Achieving the Good Life by Picking the Right Mate” (updated and revised from parashat Korach 5761-2001) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s parasha, parashat…
On the Canadian Prairie
Thirty-three years old at the time of his immigration, Grodno-born Rabbi Israel Isaac Kahanovitch was called to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1906, after spending a year in Scranton,…
Shavuot ResourcesUncategorized
Laws and Customs of Shavuot
ShavuotLaws and Customs Table of Contents Festival Laws The Book of Ruth Customs Shavuot is a low-key, pensive holiday,…
Purim,Judaism,Purim Resources,Passover,Literacy ResourcesLiteracy,Judaism,Purim
What and When
What and When Like Chanukah, Purim is a Rabbinic holiday in that it is not mentioned in the Five Books of Moses (although some…