Bereshith 5773-2012
“What is Heaven?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The opening parasha of the book of Genesis, parashat Bereshith, contains the dramatic biblical account of the physical creation of the…
Tu b’Av and the Offering of Wood
Tu b'Av, the fifteenth of Av, was celebrated in ancient times by unmarried maidens who went out on this day to dance in the vineyards hoping to be chosen by an unmarried youth to be his…
Balak 5771-2011
"Taking the Law Into One’s Own Hand" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald At the conclusion of this week’s parasha, parashat Balak, we learn that after Bilaam’s failed attempts to curse the…
Bechukotai 5771-2011
"Peace--The Greatest of All Blessings" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Bechukotai, is one of two parashiot that include the Tochachah, G-d’s reproof of the Jewish…
Emor 5771-2011
"Sanctifying and Defiling G-d’s Name" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, we encounter two prominent pronouncements that serve as foremost guideposts for…
Noah 5771-2010
“Man’s Struggle with Evil” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Noah, we learn much about man’s ongoing struggle with evil. As the parasha opens, the Torah…
Children of Abraham and Sarah
“Children of Israel,” an often used title for the Jewish people, is a name defined by the familial relationship of the descendants of Abraham and Sarah. This familial relationship (which…
Beyond Jericho
While the Torah goes into considerable detail about the birth and early years of Moses, nothing is written about his successor, Joshua (Ye’hoshua) bin Nun. The only real information given…
The Tragedy of the Idol
Ever since Moses saw the Israelites dancing around the Golden Calf and smashed the two tablets of the law, the 17th of Tammuz has been an inauspicious day for the Jewish people, a day on…
Opening an Umbrella on Shabbat
In what way is an umbrella similar to the Mishkan (Tabernacle), which served as the dwelling place of the Shechina (Divine Presence) during the Israelite's 40 years of wandering in the…