Haazinu 5760-1999
"The Final Song" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Haazinu, contains the final song which Moshe sings before his death. This is the song to which Moshe alluded in…
Labor, Technology and the Torah
Labor celebrations have taken place throughout North America since the 1880s, and Labor Day became an official U.S. holiday in 1894. As students of history are well aware, in the decades…
Labor, Technology and the Torah
Labor celebrations have taken place throughout North America since the 1880s, and in 1894, Labor Day became an official U.S. holiday. As students of history are well aware, in the decades…
Labor, Technology and the Torah
Labor celebrations have taken place throughout North America since the 1880s, and in 1894, Labor Day became an official U.S. holiday. As students of history are well aware, in the decades…
Sukkot 5769-2008
"The Imperative of Joy" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot is known throughout Rabbinic literature as "Z'man Sim'chah'tay'noo," the Time of Our Rejoicing. But joy and…
The Law of Return
On July 5th, 1950, corresponding to the 20th of Tammuz, the Israeli Knesset unanimously passed the “Law of Return ”(LoR). The timing of the bill’s passage was intended to coincide with…
People of the (Printed) Book
Johannes Gutenberg (1400-1468), credited as the developer of the printing press, published the Gutenberg Bible in 1445. The printing technology transformed the way people learned.…
Bechukotai 5779-2019
“The Big ‘IF.’ The Gift of Free Choice” (Revised and updated from Bechukotai 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week’s parasha, parashat Bechukotai, is one of the…
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…
Jews and the Crimea
In 2014, the Russian army seized control of the Crimea. This occurred after Russia claimed a referendum of Crimean citizens, many of whom are Russian nationals, overwhelmingly favored…