Treat with Dignity

On International Widows Day, be especially careful to adhere to the Torah’s admonition to not cause pain to the widow (Exodus 22:21).

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Shavuot 5763-2003

"The Remarkable Legacy of Ruth, the Righteous Convert" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald Because, this year, the festival of Shavuot falls on Friday and Shabbat, the regular parasha, Naso, is…

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Devarim 5781-2021

“Judging Our People Favorably” (Updated and revised from Devarim 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah portion, parashat Devarim, is always read prior to Tisha b’Av,…

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Shoftim 5781-2021

“The Torah-the First Environmentally-Friendly Treatise" (updated and revised from Shoftim 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s Torah portion, parashat Shoftim,…

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Kee Tavo 5770-2010

"Secret Transgressions" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, we once again encounter the Tochacha, G-d’s reproval of the Jewish people. The Tochacha…

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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…

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Extra Care

On International Widows Day, be especially careful to adhere to the Torah’s admonition to not cause pain to the widow (Exodus 22:21).

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Kee Teitzei 5773-2013

"The ‘Mitzvah’ of Divorce, Revisited" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Teitzei, speaks of the "mitzvah" of divorce. Although we have previously discussed the…

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Mishpatim 5774-2014

“Oh’na’ah–Taking Unfair Advantage of the Weak” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Mishpatim, contains 53 of the 613 commandments, 30 negative commandments and 23…

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Terumah 5775-2015

“The Sanctity of the Synagogue” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Terumah, is the first of a series of parashiot that deal with the creation, erecting and…

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