Labor, Technology and the Torah
Labor celebrations have taken place throughout North America since the 1880s, and in 1894, Labor Day became an official U.S. holiday. As students of history are well aware, in the decades…
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…
Mission Impossible
If you were to search the famous “Hollywood Walk of Fame” in Los Angeles, for a star with the name “Solomon Krakovsky,” you would be on a mission impossible. Solomon Krakovsky, who…
A Whispered Line
The Shema is both a prayer and a statement of the most fundamental aspect of Jewish theology: God’s oneness. The words of the first line of the Shema are found in this week’s Torah…
Matot-Masei 5782-2022
“The Massacre of the Midianites: Does Judaism Countenance Genocide?” (Updated and revised from Matot-Masei 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald At the conclusion of parashat Balak,…
The Rebbe
Jews worldwide observe the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of blessed memory, on the 3rd of Tammuz, which is observed…
Not So Freedom Summer
On June 21, 1964, one of the most heinous and scandalous murders took place in U.S. history, shocking the country. Andrew Goodman, 21, a native of the Upper West Side of Manhattan,…
Shelach 5782-2022
“Achieving Immortality” (updated and revised from Shelach 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald One of the most heartrending and challenging juxtapositions in the Bible appears in this…
B’ha’a’lot’cha 5782-2022
“The Message of the Manna” (updated and revised from B’ha’a’lot’cha 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, Parashat B’ha’a’lot’cha, we encounter the…
Lions and Jerusalem Day
The original city of Jerusalem, conquered by King David from the Jebusites, is now known as Ir David, situated in the Silwan neighborhood, south of the Temple Mount. Over time, Jerusalem…