Yom Kippur 5760-1999
"How does G-d Judge?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald How does one prepare for Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment, when our deeds of the past year, and especially the past week, are evaluated…
Yitro 5771-2011
"The Dark Side of Judaism" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In our previous studies of parashat Yitro 5760-2000, we spoke of Israel’s encounter with Jethro and the non-Jewish world. Through…
Yitro 5778-2018
“Striving as a Jewish Ideal” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Yitro, Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law advises Moses to delegate authority when he sits in…
Naso 5772-2012
"The Most Famous of All Nazarites--Samson" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald According to the Sefer Ha’Chinuch (the classic work on the 613 commandments, their rationale and their regulations,…
Wise as Solomon
King Solomon is best known for his brilliance and wisdom, attributes that were actually a requested gift from God. It happened this way: One night, God spoke to Solomon in a dream and…
What’s in the Book: I Samuel
The First Book of Samuel concerns the establishment of the Israelite monarchy. It opens with Samuel the Prophet, the last Judge, who was raised under the tutelage of Eli, the High……
What’s In the Book: Judges
Once in the promised land (Book of Joshua), the Israelites formed a commonwealth of 12 tribes loosely ruled by judges and elders. After the first generation, the Israelites fell into a…
The Value Of
It is easy to be judgmental. Some might say that being judgmental is a necessary survival skill because it allows people to evaluate if they are being threatened. Those who…
The Value Of
It is easy to be judgmental. Some might say that being judgmental is a necessary survival skill because it allows people to evaluate if they are being threatened. Those who study Mussar,…
The Tribe of Ephraim
As descendants of the original 12 sons of Israel, the lives and personalities of the descendants of Jacob significantly impacted on the history and behavior of the future tribe members…