Passover II 5776-2016
“The Final Days of Passover: Love and Hope" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald According to tradition, on the seventh day of Passover the sea split and the ancient Israelites marched…
Chukat 5778-2018
"The People of Israel are Taught to be More Independent" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chukat, opens with the laws of the פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה, Parah Adumah, the…
Shemini 5780-2020
“The Responsibilities of Leadership” (Revised and updated from Parashat Shemini 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the opening chapters of this week’s parasha, parashat…
Behar,Bechukotai,Weekly Message
Behar-Bechukotai 5780-2020
“Setting a New Standard of Ethical Behavior” (Updated and revised from Parashiot Behar-Bechukotai 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week, we once again read two parashiot,…
Shemot 5768-2007
"Who Were the Midwives?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Shemot, we read that Pharaoh, king of Egypt, orders the Hebrew midwives to kill the male children as…
Shelach 5780-2020
“The Torah’s Definition of ‘Power'” (Revised and Updated from Parashat Shelach 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald. This coming week’s parasha, parashat Shelach, recounts the story of…
Making it Transfusable
This past Sunday, June 14, was World Blood Day. Today's Jewish Treats takes a brief look at the Jewish researchers who made safe blood transfusions possible. In 1901, Karl Landsteiner…
Legal to Take?
With all the discussion during the last few years, about the legalization of marijuana, one might have wondered what is the traditional Jewish perspective regarding its use. It is, not…
Inauguration Oil
Elected U.S. presidents are inaugurated on January 20th. But, it wasn’t always that way. The Congress of the Confederation set March 4, 1789, as the date for “commencing proceedings” of…
Jews in the Fold
Yesterday, November 11th, was celebrated internationally as National Origami Day. Origami is a compound Japanese term: ori means folding and kami means paper. Origami was created in the…