Vayishlach 5783-2022
“We Can Forgive the Arabs for Killing Our Children...” (updated and revised from Vayishlach 5763-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we increase our knowledge of Torah, we cannot help…
This Tomato Was Grown Where?
The view of Judaism is that humankind has the unique ability to synthesize the physical and the spiritual elements of life. Hence, Jewish law requires Jews to recite a blessing over food…
Focus on Your Blessings
Transform feelings of jealousy by focusing on the blessings you have in your life. According to the Midrash, the Matriarch Rachel, referred to in in Hebrew as Rachel Emeinu, and in…
Jews in the Land of Lincoln
The first known Jewish resident of what is now the state of Illinois was John Hays, a grandson of a New York Jew, who moved west to Cahokia, IL in 1793. Hays was a farmer and trader who,…
Pidyon Ha’ben – Redeeming the Firstborn
“You must redeem the firstborn of a person…when he is one month old, for the value of five silver shekels” (Numbers 18:15-16). God sanctified the firstborn male Israelites when He…
All-American Giver
Mervin Pregulman earned his initial fame as a college football star, but his real success was achieved later as a man of business and as a philanthropist. Born in Lansing, Michigan, on…
Vayeitzei 5783-2022
“The Transformation of Jacob” (updated and revised from Vayeitzei 5763-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah portion, parashat Vayeitzei, continues the fascinating story…
You Border on the Adriatic
For many Americans, knowledge of Albania may derive from a famous scene in the sitcom “Cheers,” where “Coach” helps “Sam” study geography via the use of songs. They did this by singing,…
The Thanksgiving Synagogue Service
While Thanksgiving is most certainly an American festival of gratitude, its founders prominently articulated its religious underpinnings, which ultimately find their source in Judaism.…
Sigd, The Ethiopian Holiday
While most of the Jews of Ethiopia–the Beta Israel, as the Ethiopian community is properly called–have made aliyah and rejoined the global Jewish community, they have their own unique…