Seven Blessings-Sheva Brachot
A couple just starting their lives together inspires joy and hope, and everyone wants to wish them success. These blessings of good will are so important to a new couple that the Jewish…
One Hundred Blessings
Brachot, blessings, that start with the phrase Baruch Ah’tah...(Blessed are You...), are recited over many aspects of Jewish life. There are brachot before one eats, and brachot after…
The Jewish Honeymoon?
Where are you going on your honeymoon? Rather than announce an exotic location like Hawaii or Tahiti (or even Niagara Falls), most traditional Jewish couples answer that they are going to…
Va’etchanan 5776-2016
“Blessing G-d for the Good and the Bad" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Va’etchanan, includes the שְׁמַע--“Shemah,” the central Hebrew prayer in which Jews,…
Terumah 5775-2015
“The Sanctity of the Synagogue” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Terumah, is the first of a series of parashiot that deal with the creation, erecting and…
Which Tree Was It?
Why is the Adam's Apple called the "Adam's Apple"? Many people surmise, not without some justification, that the term is a reference to a piece of fruit stuck in Adam's throat. Although…
Eikev 5768-2008
"Fear and Reverence of G-d" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Once again, in parashat Eikev, Moses stresses to the Jewish people that notwithstanding their improprieties, G-d's love for His…
Bo 5779-2019
"Nothing Stands in the Way of Teshuva!" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As the parasha opens, G-d says to Moses, Exodus 10:1, בֹּא אֶל פַּרְעֹה: כִּי אֲנִי הִכְבַּדְתִּי אֶת לִבּוֹ, וְאֶת…