Bamidbar-Shavuot 5778-2018

“Counting a Very Special People” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   With this week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, Jews throughout the world begin reading the fourth book of the Torah,…

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Birkat HaBanim (Blessing the Children)

Birkat HaBanimBlessing the Children “May G-d make you like Ephraim and like Menashe.” “May G-d make you like Sarah, Rebecca,…

Never Too Late To Educate

It is a well-known fact that Judaism places tremendous emphasis on education. Thousands of years ago Rabbi Simon ben Shetach (75 B.C.E.) instituted compulsory school attendance. The…

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Summer Camp

The end of the school year is upon us, and across the country, many parents are packing their children’s trunks for summer camp. The world of Jewish camping began as a reaction to…

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The Fast of Esther

Ta’anit EstherThe Fast of Esther A fast day is observed in commemoration of the 3 days of fasting by Esther, Mordechai and the…

The Surgery Is Elective

In the late twentieth century, there was, according to anecdotal evidence, an epidemic of "deviated septum" among American Jewish girls. The implication, along with many not-so-funny…

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This Surgery Is Elective

In the late twentieth century there was, according to anecdotal evidence, an epidemic of “deviated septum” among American Jewish girls. The implication, along with many not-so-funny…

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The Five Prohibitions of Yom Kippur

"...on the tenth of the month, you shall afflict your souls and do no work at all...for on that day God will forgive you and cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before…

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The Maiden

Among the many remarkable women who appear in the annals of Jewish history, the Maiden of Ludmir stands out as a unique and holy woman. Her actual name was Chana Rochel Verbermacher, and…

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Unicorns

Young girls often wish for fairies, and brash youth dream of dragons. There is a delightful allure to the legends of fantastical creatures. But, according to the Midrash, not all such…

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