Jewish Matchmaking
“Matchmaker, matchmaker / Look through your book / And make me a perfect match…” (Fiddler on the Roof). With the widespread proliferation of internet dating sites such as eHarmony,…
Be a Shadchan, a Matchmaker
Think about your single friends and consider suggesting appropriate matches for them.
A Memorial to a Brave Soldier
David Rosenkrantz is one of the many unsung heroes whose lives, cut short by the horrors of war, are honored on Memorial Day. Born in 1916, Staff Sergeant Rosenkrantz joined the army in…
Remembering Our American Heroes
Today, on Memorial Day, take a moment to recognize the heroic actions of American soldiers and the Jewish soldiers among them who have valiantly and heroically fought on our behalf to…
Lag Ba’Omer
The period of mourning* (for the 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva who died of plague) that is associated with Sefirat Ha’Omer, is not observed on the 33rd day of the Omer, a day known as…
Time for a Trim
Get your haircut and take a shave today and maybe even listen to a little bit of upbeat Jewish music.
Bechukotai 5784-2024
“Achieving Peace and Security for the Jewish People” (updated and revised from Bechukotai 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bechukotai, we encounter…
Happy Birthday Birkat Hamazon
The Torah (Exodus 16:1) reports that the Children of Israel arrived at the Wilderness of Sin on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Iyar, approximately one month after the exodus from Egypt.…
Remember to Say “Thank You”
Tonight, after enjoying a delicious Shabbat meal, say “Thank You” by reciting Birkat Hamazon, Grace After Meals. Saying thank you and acknowledging our great appreciation to God for the…
The Charleston Synagogues
Charleston, South Carolina is home to one of the oldest Jewish communities in the United States. The 1669 charter for the Carolina Colony explicitly included liberty of conscious for…
Do Your Research
Before you travel to a city with a sizable Jewish population, especially one with a rich Jewish history like Charleston, SC, research its history and its synagogues to better appreciate…
The Second Passover
On the first anniversary of the Exodus from Egypt, the Children of Israel prepared to celebrate their first Passover as free people. God decreed that they should eat matzah and maror…
Crunch Time
In commemoration of Pesach Sheni, the Second Passover, enjoy some matzah today.
Take a Sabbatical
It is interesting to note that the two most common professions which offer sabbatical leaves are academia and clergy. These two professions are fields in which practitioners devote a…
Time to Recharge
Recharge your spiritual batteries to make sure your spiritual connections remain strong.
Behar 5784-2024
“The Torah’s Revolutionary Economic System” (updated and revised from Behar 5765-2005) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Behar, is an extraordinarily fascinating…
Telephone, Gramaphone, Helicopter…Emile Berliner
Emile Berliner (May 20, 1851–August 3, 1929) came to America to avoid being drafted as a soldier in the Franco-Prussian War. A native of Hanover, Germany, Berliner had trained as a…
Positive Impact
Learn more about Emile Berliner, the incredibly multi-talented Jewish innovator who positively impacted society in many different ways.
Don’t Shame The Name
The concept of “Chilul Hashem,” desecration of God’s name is first mentioned in the Torah in Leviticus (22:32), when the Jewish people are commanded: “You shall not shame My Holy Name;…
Live Knowing That People See You As a Jew
Live your life knowing that during every moment, others will see your actions as representing Jews and Judaism. In today’s day and age, Jews are more in the limelight than ever before,…
What Happened in SHUM?
While most people know about the horrors of the Crusades, many do not realize that there were, in fact, many Crusades over a period of four hundred years, and that most of these Crusades…
How Fortunate We Are
A study of the atrocities that befell the Jews of the Middle Ages in Speyer, Worms and Mainz, should remind us to appreciate how fortunate we are to live in a society where the freedom to…
Learning the Truth of Your Heritage at Age 59-The Amazing Story of Madeleine Albright
Madeleine Albright broke a glass ceiling when she became the first woman U.S. Secretary of State, on January 23, 1997. A few weeks later, at age 59, Madeleine learned that her parents,…
Appreciate, Celebrate and Transmit Your Family’s Jewish Heritage
Every person should proudly transmit family history to the next generation. For Jews this is both a calling and an imperative.
Yom Ha’atzmaut – Israel’s Independence Day
On the fifth day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, in the year 5708, corresponding to May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was born. On that day, the British Mandate was terminated, and Jewish…
With Great Appreciation
Take a moment to ponder and appreciate what Israel’s independence as the Jewish homeland has meant to the Jewish community around the world and all of the incredible accomplishments of…
Emor 5784-2024
“The Counting of the Omer and the Celebration of Israel’s Independence” (updated and revised from Emor 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Emor,…
Israel’s Memorial Day
The State of Israel’s independence, as well as its continued survival, is a modern-day miracle. But it has come at great cost in human lives and to its citizens, as the events of the last…
A Time to Reflect
Take a moment, today, on Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, to reflect on the heroic self-sacrifice of Israel’s soldiers to help preserve and protect the Modern State of Israel.
Thank You Mom
Mother’s Day is a day set aside to show the moms in our lives how much we appreciate them. It’s a sweet and wonderful idea…but according to the Torah, every day is Mother’s Day! The very…