Written for Their Sons
Imagine traveling forward 500 years in time and discovering multitudes of people studying something you had written for your child. Imagine walking into a bookstore and finding multiple…
Korach 5782-2022
“Korach’s Rebellion: Why is the Jewish Community Losing So Many of its Best and Brightest?” (updated and revised from Korach 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha,…
Grandmaster R
When Samuel Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski, 1911-1992) was five years old, his father showed him how to play chess. Three years later, the boy was a recognized child prodigy who gained…
Matot-Masei 5782-2022
“The Massacre of the Midianites: Does Judaism Countenance Genocide?” (Updated and revised from Matot-Masei 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald At the conclusion of parashat Balak,…
Jewish Educational Heroine
Recognize the significant role that Vichna Kaplan played in launching the Beth Jacob schools for Jewish girls in America. As a result of Vichna Kaplan’s herculean efforts, thousands of…
Yente the Yiddish Writer
Yiddish literature entered its modern era in the 1860s, when Jewish writers began using the Germanic-Jewish language to compose stories and poems. Many of the early writers of this era…
A Poet and A Martyr
Hannah Senesh (Szenes) was born in Budapest, Hungary, to an assimilated, middle-class Jewish family. An avid diarist from the age of 13 until her death, Hannah maintained a personal…
Kee Tavo 5782-2022
“Watch Out for Laban, He’s More Dangerous than Pharaoh!” (updated and revised from Kee Tavo 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Kee Tavo is an “ominous” parasha. It is one…
A History of the Jews of Morocco
Jews have lived in Morocco for thousands of years. Jewish nomadic tribes integrated into all aspects of Moroccan life even before the Mohammedan conquest of Morocco, which occurred in the…
Giving Gifts
“A person who is diligent in lighting Chanukah candles will have children who are scholars” (Talmud Shabbat 23b). The desire for scholarly children was actually one of the motivations for…