Relating to Sacrifices
“Rabbi Aha said in the name of Rabbi Hanina ben Pappa that God regards the study of the laws of sacrifices equal to offering them” (Leviticus Rabbah 7:3). If studying the offerings is…
Sacrifice and Innocence
Inherent in traditional Jewish thought is a longing for the Holy Temple. Many Jews long for the days when columns of smoke rose from the flames of the altar as devout worshipers brought…
Perhaps I Was Wrong
The third book of the Torah, Vayikra/Leviticus, focuses on the sacrificial rites that were an integral part of Jewish life until the destruction of the Holy Temples. For many Jews of…
Toledot 5764-2003
"The Theological Underpinnings of Anti-Semitism" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In our previous study of parashat Toledot for the year 5761-2000, we analyzed the ancient origins and…
If These Walls Could Talk
The cryptic "spiritual" dermatological disease of tza'ra'at differs from a medical malady, in that Jewish tradition teaches that the infection is caused by sin, not pathogens.…
Kedoshim,Acharei Mot,Weekly Message
Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5783-2023
“The Jewish Attitude Toward Sexuality” (updated and revised from Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5764-2004) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Both of this week’s parashiot, Acharei Mot and Kedoshim,…