North American Shtetl
The word shtetl, invokes images of the pre-Holocaust Eastern European Jewish community. It might come as a surprise, therefore, that there actually are shtetlach in North America! Here…
Mishpatim 5770-2010
"The Blessing of Health" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Toward the end of this week's parasha, parashat Mishpatim, G-d promises Moses that He is sending an angel before the Jewish people to…
Terumah-Purim 5760-2000
"The Mishkan: Underscoring the Centrality of the Home in Jewish Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, Parashat Terumah, we begin a series of four parashiot…
Devarim 5776-2016
“Moses the Stammerer, Becomes a World-Class Orator" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With parashat Devarim, we begin to read the book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Torah.…
Devarim 5777-2017
“The Transformation of Moses is Completed” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With this week’s parasha, parashat Devarim, we begin reading the fifth and final book of the Torah, known as…
Vayakhel 5774-2014
“Lip Service is Hardly Enough” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayakhel, the people of Israel deliver their abundant contributions to be used in constructing…
Terumah 5779-2019
“The Mishkan: Underscoring the Centrality of the Home in Jewish Life” (Revised and updated from Terumah 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s parasha, parashat…
Shemini,Yom Hashoah,Weekly Message
Shemini-Yom HaShoah 5775-2015
“Yom HaShoah: Six Million–Minus One” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This year on the 27th of Nissan, which is Wednesday evening, April 15th through Thursday, April 16th, Yom HaShoah,…
A Singer whose Voice was a Pen
On November 21, 1902, a baby was born in Leoncin, Poland, who would succeed, through his pen, to help posterity understand the Jewish “Shtetl” experience in Eastern Europe. Isaac Hersh…
Green Jews
Aside from Senator Bernie Sanders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield – aka “Ben and Jerry’s” – people normally do not associate the Green Mountain State with Jews. Although some scholars…