Can You Be The Tenth?
That the Hebrew word “minyan” derives from the infinitive “lim’not,” to count or number, is not at all surprising. A minyan is a quorum of 10, the smallest number necessary to create a…
Vayigash 5783-2022
“Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers: The Triumph of Jewish Identity” (updated and revised from Vayigash 5763-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In a very real sense, according to…
Painting Our People
Born on December 26, 1902, in Rahachow, Belarus (in the Pale of Settlement), Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan was a Jewish painter who celebrated his Jewish heritage and the Jewish world in his…
Chanukah and Divine Order
Chanukah always overlaps with at least one Shabbat (if not two), and since Chanukah begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts for eight days, the holiday always coincides with the…
A Special Shabbat
While welcoming Chanukah by lighting the menorah, and Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh Tevet by lighting Shabbat candles this afternoon, take a moment to appreciate the special opportunity we…
Giving Gifts
“A person who is diligent in lighting Chanukah candles will have children who are scholars” (Talmud Shabbat 23b). The desire for scholarly children was actually one of the motivations for…
These Lights We Kindle
While the mitzvah of lighting the menorah is an outward-focused mitzvah – the menorah is lit in a window or doorway – it is also an opportunity for personal reflection on the deeper…
He is Always There
When reciting Ha’nayrot Halalu after lighting the menorah, remember how God brought salvation to the Jewish people during the events that transpired on Chanukah.
Mikeitz 5783-2022
“In Those Days, in These Times” (updated and revised from Mikeitz 5763-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we have previously noted, the story of Joseph may be seen as the story of an…
The 25th of Kislev
It is not uncommon to find that significant events in Jewish history occurred in different years, but on the same date on the Jewish calendar. For instance, Tisha B’Av (9th of Av), the…