Noah 5774-2013

"Making a Name for Ourselves" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Noah, contains a plethora of fascinating narratives. The most famous story recorded in this week’s…

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Tazria 5774-2014

“The Jewish Attitude Toward Healing and Medicine” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Tazria, opens with the laws concerning purification of a woman after…

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Vayeira 5776-2015

“The Trials of Abraham” by Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Vayeira, includes at least three of the ten trials that Abraham faced during his life. Pirkei Avot, Ethics of…

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Vayeishev 5782-2021

“Judah Emerges as the Leader of Israel” (Updated and revised from Vayeishev 5763-2002) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, Vayeishev, represents the opening chapter of one…

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Bo 5778-2018

“Deceptions at the Behest of G-d”   by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bo, we read of the final three plagues that strike the Egyptians and ultimately lead…

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Jews in Early Minnesota

It is often surprising to realize just how recent it was that the majority of the United States was wild, unsettled territory. Minnesota, which became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858, was…

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No Strings Attached

Deuteronomy 16:18 states: "...You shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts just words." Although this statement of Jewish law is written in…

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Name Change

It is not a coincidence that cultures around the world share a belief in the power of given names. In Judaism, it is believed that parents are granted a flash of ruach hakodesh, Divine…

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Jessica

(Are you looking for our Twebrew School Treats about the Hebrew alphabet or our Hebrew Instructional videos? Click here for a directory!)

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Noah 5769-2008

"Nimrod and the Financial Meltdown" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In Genesis 10, the Torah features a long list of descendants of Shem, Cham and Yafet. It is a litany of begets and begats…

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