Vayeilech,Weekly Message,Nitzavim
Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5773-2013
"They’re Not Laughing At Me Anymore!" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s double parashiot, Nitzavim-Vayeilech, Moses gathers all the People of Israel together, re-enters them…
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…
Passover 1 5779-2019
“The Passover Seder–Focus on the Children” (Revised and updated from Passover 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As is the usual practice on all Shabbatot that coincide with Jewish…
Sukkot 5771-2010
“A Turning Point for Humankind” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald To most observers, Sukkot is a festival that is closely associated with the celebration of nature. The Torah (Exodus 34:22)…
Shabbat, The Heart of Unity
Shabbat is one of the Ten Commandments, and is one of the most frequently referred-to mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. Shabbat is regarded as the “heart” of Jewish life. It sets a…
All-American Giver
Mervin Pregulman earned his initial fame as a college football star, but his real success was achieved later as a man of business and as a philanthropist. Born in Lansing, Michigan, on…
Dancing for the Country
Anyone who has ever attended Jewish summer camp has probably spent some time dancing in a circle, doing the grapevine step and singing the song about Mayim (water). In honor of…
Community Ties
It is a commonly stated idea that, with the expansion of the world of social media, the idea of community has changed. Where once people turned to communal organizations for drawing them…
A Treat For World Philosophy Day
Philosophy is defined by dictionary.com as "the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge or conduct." Judaism, being a religion, is a system of living…
Twenties and Thirties
In the last decade or so, it has become commonplace for the media to note the decline of adulthood--meaning that childhood has been prolonged for so long that young adults are remaining…