Pinchas 5764-2004
"The Conundrum of Pinchas: Do His Actions Set an Unacceptable Precedent?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Pinchas, we encounter the final chapter of…
Matot-Masei 5764-2004
"The Mitzvah of Living in the Land of Israel" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Masei, the second of this week's double parashiot, G-d speaks to Moses in the Plains of Moab and…
Rosh Hashana 5764-2003
"Making Each Day Count" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Rabbi Yehuda Leib Alter (1847-1905), the second Gerrer rebbe and leader of Polish Jewry, was also known as the S'fas Emes, which is the…
Yom Kippur 5764-2003
"Smashing the Golden Calves" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Virtually all of the holidays and festivals of the Jewish calendar revolve around important events in Jewish history. Passover…
Sukkot 5764-2003
"The Seven Protective Divine Clouds" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot acknowledges our profound gratitude to the A-lmighty who watched over our ancestors after the exodus…
Simchat Torah 5764-2003
"Celebrating Torah" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Because of the festivals of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, we do not read the normal Torah portion this week. Instead, on Sunday,…
Chol Hamoed Pesach 5764-2004
"With G-d as Our Partner" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This Shabbat, instead of the regular Torah portion, Exodus 33:12-34:26 is read, which makes references to the "13 Attributes of G-d's…
Toledot 5764-2003
"The Theological Underpinnings of Anti-Semitism" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In our previous study of parashat Toledot for the year 5761-2000, we analyzed the ancient origins and…
Shemot 5764-2004
"The Message of the Burning Bush" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shemot, we read of G-d's revelation to Moses from the "s'neh," the burning bush.…
Shoftim 5764-2004
"Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Shoftim--the name means "judges" or "magistrates," and this parasha deals essentially with the ethical and…