Call Him Ishmael…Rabbi Ishmael
It may seem surprising that the Talmud quotes a sage named Rabbi Ishmael. Biblically, Ishmael the son of Abraham and Hagar, is portrayed as a wild trouble-maker sent away from Abraham’s…
Chayei Sarah 5776-2015
"The Legacy of Ishmael" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chayei Sarah, opens with the death and burial of the matriarch, Sarah, at age 127, and closes with the…
Southpaw Implications
Study Jewish law to discover the everyday implications of being a lefty. To appreciate the value of studying Torah for its own sake, explore the first Mishna of the sixth chapter of…
Beautiful and Strange Creatures
Summer vacation means different things to different people, but one of the most common tourist activities of the season is a trip to the zoo. From time immemorial, human beings have been…
Raising the Intensity for the Day of Judgment
As we begin to recite Selichot prayers (either late at night or early in the morning) the week prior to Rosh Hashana and during the Aseret Y’mei Teshuva (Ten Days of Repentance), we must…
Deliberate in Judgment
Apply the wisdom of being deliberate in judgment into your everyday life.
Prepare for Judgment
Try to hear the shofar blasts daily during the month of Elul, to help prepare yourself spiritually for Rosh Hashana.
Lech Lecha 5782-2021
“Understanding Ishmael” (updated and revised from 5762-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, we encounter the birth of Abram’s (his name…
Rosh Hashana 5780-2019
“The Judgment of Ishmael, and its Contemporary Implications for all of G-d's Creatures” (Updated and revised from Rosh Hashana 5761-2000) Because of Rosh Hashana, instead of…