Va’etchanan 5783-2023
"The Dialectic of Body and Soul" (updated and revised from Va’etchanan 5764-2004) In this week’s parasha, parashat Va’etchanan, we encounter several well-known and significant texts.…
Don’t Roll Your Eyes At Me
The plaintive cry of exasperation, “Don’t roll your eyes at me!” that parents often address to their children is one that each person should consider saying to him/herself, omitting, of…
Don’t Roll Your Eyes At Me
The plaintive cry of exasperation, “Don’t roll your eyes at me!” that parents often address to their children is one that each person should consider saying to him/herself, omitting, of…
Emor 5773-2013
"Sanctifying G-d’s Name" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, we find the seminal commandments to sanctify G-d’s name and the prohibition of desecrating…
Tzav 5782-2022
“What We Learn from the Jewish ‘Caste System’” (Updated and revised from Tzav 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah portion, parashat Tzav, continues the Torah’s…
Korach 5772-2012
"Jealousy, Lust, and Thirst for Honor" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Korach, we read of the contentious rebellion of Korach and his cohorts, and its…
Genesis,Weekly Message,Shoftim
Shoftim 5772-2012
"The Haughty Heart" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Among the many topics discussed in this week’s parasha, parashat Shoftim, are the rules and regulations that apply to a king of Israel.…
The Sino-Jewish Axis
During Associate U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan’s 2010 confirmation hearings, she was asked where she had spent the previous Christmas. With a broad smile, Ms. Kagan responded,…
Tazria 5782-2022
“Tzaraat—The Spiritual-Dermatological Disease” (updated and revised from Tazria 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Tazria, as well as parashat…
Shoftim 5760-2000
"War, the Jewish Community and Jewish Family Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Shoftim, we learn in great detail about the extensive preparations…