Making it Transfusable

In 1901, Karl Landsteiner (June 14, 1868–June 26, 1943) discovered that people have different types of blood, and by 1909 he was able to begin labelling the different blood types. Born in…

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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…

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American Archivist

Selma Stern-Taeubler (1890-1981) was a natural achiever. Not only was this doctor’s daughter the first woman to be accepted to Baden-Baden’s Gymnasium in Germany, she even graduated from…

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Shoftim 5769-2009

"The Torah Declares War on Bribery" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Shoftim, we again encounter the Torah's emphatic injunction against taking bribes.…

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Shoftim 5765-2005

"The Extent of Rabbinic Authority" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shoftim, 41 new Torah laws--14 positive and 27 negative mitzvot--are introduced.…

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Lech Lecha 5761-2000

"Lot, Nephew of Avram: The Promise and the Tragedy" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, we encounter the fascinating relationship between…

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Nitzavim-Vayeilech 5763-2003

"Choosing Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald There's something very distinctive about the arrival of the Jewish New Year. Whenever the Jewish High Holiday season draws near there's always…

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Vayeitzei 5760-1999

"Who is the Real Enemy?" Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, we read of Jacob's flight from Beersheva, to escape his brother Esau's wrath. Jacob runs, as…

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Tetzaveh 5764-2004

"Keeping the Priests Humble" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, we read in rather minute detail, about the garments that were worn by the…

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