Lech Lecha 5776-2015
“What’s in a Name?—a Change of Destiny” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, we read of two major covenants that G-d sealed with Abram (his name had not yet been changed…
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…
Vayeishev 5778-2017
Vayeishev 5778-2017 “The Jealousy Between Brothers” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Vayeishev we read of the powerful forces of jealousy and enmity that rip apart…
Ellen Lipkis Letter
A Note from Ellen Lipkis Dear Rabbi Buchwald, Thank you for always being there for the Lipkis family. It is not easy for me to express all that I would like to say to you. Words are not…
Bring Back Our Boys
Baruch Dayan Emet, Blessed is the True Judge. NJOP joins the world Jewish community in mourning the loss of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali. May their memories be a blessing for us all.…
President Grover Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland, the only U.S. president to have served in two non-consecutive terms, was one of two Democrats (the other being Woodrow Wilson) to have served as president…
An Egyptian Treasure Trove
The 12th of Kislev marks the 104th anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Solomon Schechter, who died on November 19, 1915 in New York City. Born in 1847 in Moldavia to a family of Chabad…
Perceiving Change
Parashat Ha’azinu, also called Shirat Ha’azinu, the poem or song of Ha’azinu in Hebrew, is literally laid-out in the Torah scroll as a poem, not as the typical prose one finds. Moses’…
Birthday of the World
According to Jewish tradition, this Wednesday night, when Rosh Hashana begins, the world will be 5778 years old. This claim easily stirs up sharp debate. How, it is often asked, can one…
One Goat…and a Host of Other Things
Most American children know the play song There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. It’s a fun song that has a building pattern that helps develop children’s memory skills. There was an…