The Ben Ish Chai

When Rabbi Yosef Chaim was 25 years old, his father, Chacham Eliyahu Chaim, leader of the Jewish community in Baghdad, passed away. Although young, Rabbi Yosef Chaim had already achieved…

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My Father, Our Father

Many well-known Jewish songs are based on words from the Bible. While a vast majority of them are based on Tehillim (Psalms) one of the most famous is almost a direct quote from Genesis:…

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My Father. Our Father

Many well-known Jewish songs are based on words from the Bible. While a vast majority of them are based on Tehillim (Psalms) one of the most famous is almost a direct quote from Genesis:…

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Vayigash 5763-2002

"Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers: The Triumph of Jewish Identity" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In a very real sense, the story of Joseph, as depicted in parashat Vayigash, is the…

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Chayei Sara 5760-1999

"The First Encounter Between Rebecca and Isaac, a Revealing Insight Into the Future" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Chayei Sara, we read of the…

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Chayei Sarah 5780-2019

“Rebecca and Isaac’s First Encounter: a Revealing Insight into the Future” (updated and revised from Chayei Sarah 5760-1999) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   In this week’s parasha,…

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Lech Lecha 5762-2001

"Understanding Ishmael" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Lech Lecha, we encounter the birth of Abrams's oldest son, Ishmael. The bible, in Genesis 15, tells…

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Chayei Sarah 5768-2007

"O Captain, My Captain" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Although the name of this week's parasha is Chayei Sarah, literally, "the life of Sarah," the parasha does not really concern itself…

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Vayigash 5773-2012

"Is My Father Still Alive?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayigash, we read of one of the most dramatic moments in the Torah, when Joseph finally reveals…

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Bentching/Birkat HaMazon/Grace After Meals

Birkat HaMazonGrace After MealsBentching How easy it is, when we are wanting, to ask G-d for the food, to remember our “please…