Yom Kippur 5767-2006
"The Poetry of Yom Kippur" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the year 1916, the great American poet, Robert Frost, penned a poem he entitled, The Road Not Taken. In this poem Frost talks of…
Tzav 5779-2019
"Remembering Amalek: A Contemporary View” (Revised and updated from Tzav 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Rather than focus on this coming week’s parasha, parashat Tzav, I have…
Vayeitzei 5770-2009
"Punishment Awaits the Evildoers" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, we read of the deception of Jacob by his father-in-law, Laban. Jacob, of course,…
Philosophical Dialogue
Spain in the early Middle Ages was a breeding ground for philosophers. As the peninsula shifted from Christian control to Muslim and back to Christian again, philosophy became the common…
Rights in Connecticut
At the time that Connecticut ratified the Constitution on January 9, 1788, the fifth state of the United States was not particularly welcoming to Jews or anyone else who was not…
Article VI
September 17 is Constitution Day, in honor of the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1787. The Constitution was a radical document at that time, and one of the most unique…
Under Oath
Taking an oath of office or swearing* to tell the truth in court may not seem like a historic victory to Jews who were raised in the 21st century. However, for hundreds of years Jews were…
Rights in Connecticut
At the time that Connecticut ratified the U.S. Constitution on January 9, 1788, the fifth state of the United States was not particularly welcoming to Jews or anyone else who was not…
Va’eira 5774-2013
“Moses, the Reluctant Prophet” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Tradition maintains that the 53 Hebrew prophets and prophetesses were generally a reluctant group of Divine servants, who were…
Vayigash 5776-2015
“Joseph’s Intense Economic Policies” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayigash, Judah’s appeal to Joseph to release his brother Benjamin has a powerful…