B’shalach 5768-2008
"Finding Meaning in the Lost Verses" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald There can hardly be a more dramatic or more exciting parasha than parashat B'shalach! The parasha features the actual…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Healing
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The eighth blessing is a request for healing. R'fa'aynu Ah'doh'nai v'nay'rah'fay, ho'shee'aynu…
Tazria 5774-2014
“The Jewish Attitude Toward Healing and Medicine” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Tazria, opens with the laws concerning purification of a woman after…
Shelach 5781-2021
“What’s in a Name?” (updated and revised from Shelach 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s Torah portion, parashat Shelach, the Torah recounts the fateful saga of the…
Shelach 5762-2002
"What's in a Name?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's Torah portion, parashat Shelach, the Torah tells of the twelve men who were sent to scout the land of Canaan, and…
The Maggid of Mezeritch
It is often noted by commentators on the Torah that whereas Abraham was a charismatic leader, his son, Isaac, was an introvert who spent much of his time studying. This same comparison…
Angel Names
Groups, in general, frequently form some sort of hierarchy. There are always those who are placed in charge, or who take charge. Since the celestial world is a mirror image of this world,…