Vayishlach 5782-2021
“Yisrael: The People Who Wrestle with G-d” (updated and revised from Vayishlach 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, after having lived…
National Hermit Day
Judaism is not known for encouraging asceticism. While the Torah commands the Jewish people to “afflict” themselves on Yom Kippur by fasting and refraining from certain pleasurable…
Yom Kippur 5782-2021
“Smashing the Golden Calves” (updated and revised from Yom Kippur 5764-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Virtually all the holidays and festivals of the Jewish calendar revolve around…
Kee Teitzei 5781-2021
“Transforming an Enemy into a Friend” (updated and revised from Kee Teitzei 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald We are now well into the month of אֱלוּל, Elul, the month that leads…
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.…
Preparing for the Nine Days
The Mishna, in Tractate Ta’anit 27b, teaches that when the month of Av begins, we curtail our joy. Study this overview to prepare for the upcoming “Nine Days” that begin with the onset of…
Matot-Masei 5781-2021
“Does the Torah Allow Its Citizens to Take the Law Into Their Own Hands?” (updated and revised from Matot-Masei 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Masei, the…
Ethics of the Fathers
Ethics – it’s a big word in our day and age. Between political corruption and financial misdeeds, it is easy to wonder what ever happened to even the most basic ethical standards.…
Weekly Message,Tazria,Metzorah
Tazria-Metzorah 5781-2021
“Circumcision and Shabbat” (updated and revised from Tazria-Metzorah 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In order to properly coordinate the weekly Torah readings with the Hebrew…
Kee Tisah 5781-2021
“Reverence for Learning in Jewish Tradition” (updated and revised from Kee Tisah 5763-2003) In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, we read of the fateful sin of the Jewish people…