This is Chanukah
Tonight, is the eighth and final night of Chanukah. After the flames die down, many households will pack up their menorah and think little of the holiday again until next year. However,…
Purim Again
Unique to the Jewish calendar, the festival of Purim is actually observed on different days depending on location. The majority of the Jewish people celebrate Purim on the 14th of Adar…
Vayakhel 5782-2022
“Defining True Generosity” (updated and revised from Vayakhel 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayakhel, we learn, once again, of building…
Metzorah 5782-2022
“The Nidah--Affirming the Infinite Value of Human Life” (updated and revised from Metzorah 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Toward the end of this week’s parasha, parashat…
The Song of Songs
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth, for your love is better than wine. Because of the fragrance of your goodly oils, your name is ‘oil poured forth.’ Therefore, the maidens…
Prepare for the Final Celebratory Meal of Passover
The seventh day of Passover, which begins tonight, recalls the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the Shira (Song of Crossing the Sea), which is tomorrow’s Torah reading. We will read Shir…
Pinchas 5782-2022
“Can a Perfect G-d Sin?” (Updated and revised from Pinchas 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Pinchas, is full of fascinating narratives. The parasha…
Put it Together
Enhance your celebration of the joyous holiday of Sukkot by building your own sukkah. One of the beautiful explanations about why we sit in a sukkah is that it represents an inherent…
Ushpeezin (pronounced Oo’shpee’zin)
During the festival of Sukkot, the sukkah is intended to be our home. For example, since dining normally takes place in the house, on Sukkot dining takes place in the sukkah. Because the…
The Thanksgiving Synagogue Service
While Thanksgiving is most certainly an American festival of gratitude, its founders prominently articulated its religious underpinnings, which ultimately find their source in Judaism.…