Vayishlach 5780-2019
“The Massacre of Shechem, Can it be Justified?” (Updated and revised from Vayishlach 5760-1999) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, commences,…
Vayishlach 5762-2001
"Yisrael: the People Who Wrestle with G-d" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Vayishlach, after twenty years with Laban, we find Jacob on his way to…
Toledot 5782-2021
“The Deception of Isaac” (updated and revised from Toledot 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Toledot, we encounter the well-known, and rather…
Vayeitzei 5771-2010
"The Hated Wife” by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, we come face-to-face with the difficulties that are often encountered in polygamous marriages. In…
Vayishlach 5774-2013
"The Death of Deborah, Rebecca’s Nurse" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, after the traumatic rape of Dina in Shechem and the revenge at the hands…
The Trouble with Double
For some sisters who are particularly close, the idea of a double wedding may seem a romantic dream. Indeed, parents of such brides might contemplate such a wedding as an excellent means…
Penny Lane
While the well-known adage requests, “A penny for your thoughts,” perhaps those coins should be sought, instead, in between the cushions of sofas and car seats, in washing machines, and…
Can There Be Too Much Joy?
The Talmud (Mo’ed Katan 8b) rules that we may not get married during the intermediate days of a festival. The Talmud offers two reasons for the prohibition. First, because we do not mix…
The Trouble with Double
For some sisters who are particularly close, the idea of a double wedding may seem a romantic dream. Indeed, parents of such brides might contemplate such a wedding as an excellent means…
Rebecca
Of the four matriarchs, it is Rebecca, the wife of Isaac, for whom the Torah provides the most background information. Notably, she is the only matriarch whose birth is recorded: “And…