Sukkot 5764-2003
"The Seven Protective Divine Clouds" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot acknowledges our profound gratitude to the A-lmighty who watched over our ancestors after the exodus…
Sukkot 5783-2022
Sukkot 5783-2022 “The Seven Protective Divine Clouds” (updated and revised from Sukkot 5764-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The festival of Sukkot acknowledges profound gratitude to…
Sukkot II 5777-2016
“Why is Sukkot Celebrated in the Fall rather than in the Spring?” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Torah, in Leviticus 23:42-43, states, בַּסֻּכֹּת תֵּשְׁבוּ שִׁבְעַת יָמִים; כָּל…
Sukkot 5770-2009
"Sukkot: The Dialectic of a Festival" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The festival of Sukkot is referred to in the Torah (Exodus 34:22) as "Chag Ha'ah'sif," the festival of the ingathering. It…
Chukat 5778-2018
"The People of Israel are Taught to be More Independent" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chukat, opens with the laws of the פָּרָה אֲדֻמָּה, Parah Adumah, the…
Chukat-Balak 5769-2009
"The Ultimate Value of Human Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald On this Shabbat, throughout the diaspora, a double Torah portion, Chukat-Balak, is read. In Israel, however, only the…
Noah 5770-2009
"The Message of the Rainbow" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Noah, tells the story of the great flood that inundated the world in the days of Noah. After the…
Cloud Positioning System
Those who enjoy travel, love to hear tales of adventurous backpackers who head off into “parts unknown” without a clear plan of action. Most people, however, would not travel without a…
Yom Kippur 5778-2017
According to tradition, the Torah was given to the People of Israel at Mount Sinai in the Hebrew year 2448 (1312 BCE), on the sixth day of the Hebrew month of Sivan. On the seventh day of…
Forever Fashions
When the Children of Israel left Egypt, they did not expect to be in the wilderness for 40 years. (Indeed, 38 years were added to their journey because the generation that left Egypt…