Parasha of the Month
This Shabbat is Parashat HaChodesh, the Sabbath of “The Month.” The Torah portion that is read as the Maftir (additional reading) after the conclusion of the reading…
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…
Vayakhel 5765-2005
"Bezalel's Artistic Legacy" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Vayakhel, is one of the few instances (cf. parshat Ki Tisah, Exodus 31:1-6) in which the Torah…
Vayakhel 5784-2024
“Bezalel's Artistic Legacy” (updated and revised from Vayakhel 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald When this week’s parasha, parashat Vayakhel, lists the abundant talents of Bezalel,…
Inside or Outside?
Seder night is an event pregnant with tradition and ritual. As the Hagaddah instructs, “we are obligated to see ourselves as if we ourselves were slaves in Egypt.” So much of the Seder…
National Freedom Day
Not many people are aware that today, February 1st, is National Freedom Day in the United States. National Freedom Day was initially advocated for by Major Richard Robert Wright Sr…
A Civil Rights Leader
Rabbi Arthur Joseph Lelyveld was a man of incredible activity. While he made his mark on history with his activism, the number of Jewish organizations with which he associated is…
“No More Pharaohs and No More Slaves”
By the mid-1800s, Jews were settled throughout the United States, and many had absorbed the local culture in which they were living. Among the Jews of the south, there were, therefore,…
Colonial Outreach: Alliance Israelite Universelle
North American Jews often hear of organizations created for the benefit of both Judaism and Israel, such as Hadassah, Bnai Brith, the Jewish National Fund, etc. And while these…