Shemot 5769-2009

"Does Moses Contradict G-d?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Shemot, G-d appears to Moses in the midst of a burning bush charging him to go to Pharaoh and to…

Read More

Vayeitzei 5774-2013

"Jacob Separates from Laban" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week’s parasha, parashat Vayeitzei, recounts the trials and experiences of Jacob during the twenty years that he…

Read More

Tazria-Metzorah-Yom Ha’atzmaut 5775-2015

“Finding the Silver Lining” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Tazria, the first of this week’s double parashiot Tazria-Metzorah, we encounter the laws of צָרָעַת Tzaraat, the…

Read More

Chayei Sarah 5777-2016

“Sarah Dies at Age 127” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, opens with the grim news of the passing of the great Matriarch, Sarah, at age 127. The…

Read More

Rabbi Tarfon

Studying the Talmud is a most exciting adventure that introduces a person to a host of intriguing historic personalities who had a profound impact on Jewish life. With so many different…

Read More

From Deadwood to Rapid City

Images of the Wild West are filled with swinging saloon doors, dusty main streets, and small, fenced-in cemeteries. One would not then expect to find a place called Hebrew Hill in…

Read More

If I Forget Thee

“If I forget thee O’ Jerusalem, let my right hand wither” (Psalms 137:5 -Im esh’kachech Yerushalayim, tishkach y’meenee)...poignantly expresses the Jewish people’s longing for Jerusalem.…

Read More

If I Forget Thee

“If I forget thee O’ Jerusalem, let my right hand wither” (Psalms 137:5 -Im esh’kachech Yerushalayim, tishkach y’meenee)...poignantly expresses the Jewish people’s longing for Jerusalem.…

Read More

If I Forget Thee

“If I forget thee O’ Jerusalem, let my right hand wither” (Psalms 137:5 - Im esh’kachech Yerushalayim, tishkach y’meenee)...poignantly expresses the Jewish people’s longing for Jerusalem.…

Read More

What A Pretty Little

Appearances can be deceiving. Take little children, for instance. “What a pretty little girl” might be a misplaced compliment in many traditional communities where it is customary to…

Read More