The Jews of Ethiopia
In May 1991, Operation Solomon transported 14,500 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. This was the third great rescue mission of the Ethiopian community (Operation Moses, 1984 and Operation Joshua,…
The Jews Of Cyprus
The history of the Jews in Cyprus is surprisingly benign given the island’s proximity to both Europe and the Holy Land. The third largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus was home to a…
The Jews Of Cyprus
The history of the Jews in Cyprus is surprisingly “benign” given the island’s proximity to both Europe and the Holy Land. The third largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus was home to…
Kissing the Mezuzah
A person might easily think of the mitzvah of mezuzah as a passive mitzvah. Simply recite the blessing before affixing the mezuzah to the doorposts of the house, and it is done. While…
Rabbi Shmuel Salant
On the 29th of Av, 1909, corresponding to August 16th, Rabbi Shmuel Salant, Jerusalem’s long-time Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, passed away. Rabbi Shmuel was born in 1816 in Bialystok, then part…
Naso-Shavuot 5767-2007
"Honey and Milk Under Your Tongue" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Because of the upcoming holiday of Shavuot, the analyses this week will focus on the festival theme of "Torah" rather than…
Bechukotai 5779-2019
“The Big ‘IF.’ The Gift of Free Choice” (Revised and updated from Bechukotai 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week’s parasha, parashat Bechukotai, is one of the…
Never Too Late To Educate
It is a well-known fact that Judaism places tremendous emphasis on education. Thousands of years ago Rabbi Simon ben Shetach (75 B.C.E.) instituted compulsory school attendance. The…
Mishpatim 5770-2010
"The Blessing of Health" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Toward the end of this week's parasha, parashat Mishpatim, G-d promises Moses that He is sending an angel before the Jewish people to…
Kedoshim 5776-2016
“Tattoos" In Parashat Kedoshim the Torah proclaims the prohibition of making cuts on one’s skin as a sign of mourning and forbids drawing permanent tattoos on the body. Scripture, in…