Saying Goodbye To Shabbat
Shabbat ends when three stars appear in the sky, a little more than an hour after candle lighting time. Maariv, the evening service, is recited in the synagogue and, upon returning home,…
Blessings
The Hebrew word for blessing is bracha. People are most familiar with this term from the formulation of Jewish prayers that start with the word: Baruch, Blessed. Those who are familiar…
Post-Labor Day Whites
When is it fashionably acceptable to wear white after Labor Day? On Yom Kippur! Many people have the custom of wearing white on Yom Kippur. In the synagogue you will often see women…
The Alarm Clock
New beginnings are always difficult. For those who are not “morning people,” every day is a new beginning, and we must be thankful to the inventor of the alarm clock, which keeps us from…
To Jew and Jew and Jew
Judaism is both a religion and a nationality. The Talmud teaches us (Shavuot 39a) “Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh,” that all Jews are responsible (literally “guarantors”) for one another.…
Forgiveness: An Elul Treat
Many feel that the three hardest words to say, in any language are: “I am sorry.” Yet, we all know how very important those words are. Indeed, saying one is sorry, or at least admitting…
Haazinu 5760-1999
"The Final Song" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Haazinu, contains the final song which Moshe sings before his death. This is the song to which Moshe alluded in…
Shemot 5762-2001
"The Circumcision of Eliezer: A Message for Busy Parents" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shemot, Moshe emerges as the leader of Israel and begins the…
Shemot 5763-2002
"The Making of a Concerned Jewish Leader" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The story of Joseph has come to a conclusion, and with the arrival of the children of Jacob in Egypt, G-d's…
Haazinu 5765-2004
"Judging Others Favorably and its Impact on Our Own Judgment" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming Shabbat is known in the Jewish calendar as Shabbat Shuva--the Sabbath of Return. It…