Presuming Innocence
"Innocent until proven guilty" is one of the great American judicial principles. That important concept, however, could very well have been composed by someone who had studied a bit of…
Appointing Justice
According to Jewish tradition, God created the world employing the attributes of both rachamim (mercy) and din (justice). Since God is constantly renewing the act of creation, it is with…
Off With His Head
Capital punishment is one of the modern era’s great controversies. Does a judicial system have the right to sentence a person to death? Like most such controversial topics, similar…
“Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue”
The directive to create a judicial system is set out in Deuteronomy 16:18-20. God commands the Israelites to appoint judges and law enforcement officials in all their cities and towns.…
Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue
The directive to create a judicial system is set out in this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim, in Deuteronomy 16:18-20. God commands the Israelites to appoint judges and law enforcement…
Terumah-Purim 5760-2000
"The Mishkan: Underscoring the Centrality of the Home in Jewish Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, Parashat Terumah, we begin a series of four parashiot…
Mishpatim 5779-2019
“From Seemingly Obscure Laws, the Torah Teaches the Ultimate Value of the Sanctity of Human Life”(Revised and updated from Mishpatim 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming…
Terumah 5779-2019
“The Mishkan: Underscoring the Centrality of the Home in Jewish Life” (Revised and updated from Terumah 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s parasha, parashat…
Pinchas 5779-2019
“The Daughters of Zelophehad: Legitimate Feminist Claims” (Revised and updated from Pinchas 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Pinchas, we…
Book Respect
Because of the centrality of the Torah in Jewish life, the Jewish people are known as, "The People of the Book." Perhaps the Jewish people could also be known as, "The People of the…