Can You Count To 49?
There is a Biblical commandment (Leviticus 23:15) to count the 49 days that immediately follow the first night of Passover and, on the 50th night, to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot.…
The Fast of Esther
"Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day; I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so…
Chanukah and Divine Order
Chanukah always overlaps with at least one Shabbat (if not two), and since Chanukah begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts for eight days, the holiday always coincides with the…
The Keshet of Kislev
It was during the month of Cheshvan that God sent the heavy rains to cover the world and destroy all but those in Noah’s pitch-covered ark. Just over a year later, at the end of the month…
The Tragedy of Jealousy
The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) relates that “Rabbi Akiva had 12,000 pairs of students...and all of them died in one period of time because they did not act with respect toward each other...they…
Can You Count To 49?
There is a Biblical commandment (Leviticus 23:15) to count the 49 days that immediately follow the first night of Passover and, on the 50th night, to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot.…
It’s A Segulah
A segulah is an action that is reputed to lead to a change in one’s fortunes. For instance, acting as the kvatter (the one who brings the baby into the brit milah/circumcision) is…
Yitro 5766-2006
"Sanctify Them, Today and Tomorrow" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Yitro, we read of the great Divine Revelation that took place at Mt. Sinai in the year…
Avinu Malkeinu
No prayer so thoroughly captures the Jewish people’s dual relationship with God as Avinu Malkeinu, "Our Father, Our King." While Avinu Malkeinu is a prayer widely known to be part of the…
Yom Kippur 5781-2020
“The Thrill of Coming Home” (updated and revised from Yom Kippur 5761-2000) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald There are certain times in the Jewish calendar that are regarded as propitious…