Terumah 5763-2003
"The Mishkan and the Sanctity of the Jewish Home" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With this week's parasha, we begin a series of five weekly Torah portions that deal with the building of the…
A Synagogue Tour
Throughout history, synagogue architecture has been as varied as the latest styles and the laws of the land (for instance, many cultures prohibited building synagogues taller than…
Terumah 5781-2021
“The Mishkan and the Sanctity of the Jewish Home” (updated and revised from Terumah 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald With this week’s parasha, we begin a series of five weekly…
From the Balcony
Take a virtual tour of some of the best known historic synagogues and you may notice several common features: an aron kodesh (ark/cabinet) that houses the Torah scrolls, a bimah (raised…
The Torah Service
The Torah Service is central to the Saturday morning synagogue service and has much ceremony and fanfare. It begins with the opening of the aron ha’kodesh (holy ark - the cabinet housing…
Vayishlach 5763-2002
"We Can Forgive the Arabs For Killing Our Children..." by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald As we learn more and more Torah, we cannot help but realize that we frequently learn revolutionary…
Terumah 5768-2008
"The Museum within the Tabernacle" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Terumah, G-d tells Moses to speak to the people of Israel and instruct them to prepare for…
Vayeilech 5761-2001
"Appreciating One's Own Inner Worth" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Vayeilech , is almost always read together with the preceding parasha, Nitzavim. They are…
Eikev 5767-2007
"Swearing in G-d's name" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald It's rather fascinating to see how one single, seemingly simple verse can be interpreted so differently by our commentators. In…
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…