Sukkot,Weekly Message

Sukkot 5782-2021

“A Sukkah Memory” (updated and revised from Sukkot 5763-2002) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Growing up as one of the few religious Yeshiva students in the East Bronx in the early 1950s was…

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Jewish Treats

These Lights We Kindle

While the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is an outward-focused mitzvah – which is why the menorah is lit in a window or doorway – it is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the…

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Passover,Weekly Message

Passover I 5782-2022

“Chametz, Matzah and Faith in Redemption” (Updated and revised from Passover 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week, the regular Torah portion is preempted by the upcoming…

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Jewish Treats

The New Month is Coming

In many synagogues around the world, the monthly calendar contains a special notation marking the last Shabbat of the Hebrew month as Shabbat Mevarchim (translated as "the Shabbat when…

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Jewish Treats

Birthday of the World

According to Jewish tradition, this Sunday night, when Rosh Hashana begins, the world will be 5783 years old. This claim easily stirs up sharp debate. How, it is often asked, can one say…

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Jewish Treats

These Lights We Kindle

While the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is an outward-focused mitzvah – the menorah is lit in a window or doorway – it is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the deeper…

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Jewish Treats

Does Life Begin at 40?

In 1932 Walter Pitkin published his popular self-help book, Life Begins at Forty. Truthfully, before the 20th century, life expectancy, on average, rarely exceeded 40. The number 40 is…

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Jewish Treats

Birthday of the World

According to Jewish tradition, this Friday night, when Rosh Hashana begins, the world will be 5784 years old. This claim easily stirs up sharp debate. How, it is often asked, can one say…

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Jewish Treats

These Lights We Kindle

While the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is an outward-focused mitzvah – the menorah is lit in a window or doorway – it is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the deeper…

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Primary,High Holidays

High Holiday Beginner Service

Looking for something different for this year’s High Holidays?If you are one of thousands of Jews around the country who are curious but wary or hesitant about High Holiday services, NJOP…