The Five Names of Rosh Hashana

In Jewish tradition, Rosh Hashana has several names that can help us understand the importance and power of this holiday. Rosh Hashana, which begins this Sunday evening, September 25th,…

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Yente the Yiddish Writer

Yiddish literature entered its modern era in the 1860s, when Jewish writers began using the Germanic-Jewish language to compose stories and poems. Many of the early writers of this era…

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Kee Tavo 5782-2022

“Watch Out for Laban, He’s More Dangerous than Pharaoh!” (updated and revised from Kee Tavo 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Kee Tavo is an “ominous” parasha. It is one…

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Swiss Jews

A Jewish presence in Switzerland can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Until the 19th century, Jews in Switzerland were restricted in both residence and employment. While there were…

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Honoring 9/11

Sunday is the 21st anniversary of the devastating attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and several other targets in 2001. There are stories to be told of many heroes. People…

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Moral Yoking

While organizations such as PETA and local SPCAs were created to protect animals and safeguard them from undue suffering and cruelty, the Torah has, for millennia, maintained strict laws…

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Respect for Workers

Study the Torah's laws of the proper treatment of workers to better appreciate the moral and ethical underpinning of Jewish lore and law.

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Kee Teitzei 5782-2022

“The Torah’s Radical Approach to Child Rearing” (updated and revised from Kee Teitzei 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Kee Teitzei, we learn of a…

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Is It Good To Be The King?

Parashat Shoftim, this week’s Torah portion, addresses many issues, among them the Jewish jurisprudential system, false prophets, and the Arei Miklat, cities of refuge. The guidelines for…

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Houston Healthcare

Many cities have Jewish hospitals, but only Houston has a Jewish Institute of Medical Research. In the 1950s, Houston’s Jewish community sought to create a medical facility that had a…

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