Yom Kippur 5766-2005

"Sharing the Blanket" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The Rambam (Maimonides, the great Jewish philosopher, codifier and physician, 1135-1204), states in The Laws of Teshuva, chapter 3, that…

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Kee Tisah 5776-2016

  “Moses Pleads on Behalf of the People of Israel” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, features the infamous sin of the Golden Calf. The Al-mighty…

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Symbolic Foods

Symbolic Foods There is a certain meaning and prayer behind each kind of symbolic food. See if one of the foods holds a deeper…

Vayishlach 5760-1999

"The Massacre of Shechem, Can it be Justified?" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald As this week's parasha, parashat Vayishlach commences, Jacob prepares for the fateful confrontation with his…

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Vayeira 5776-2015

“The Trials of Abraham” by Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Vayeira, includes at least three of the ten trials that Abraham faced during his life. Pirkei Avot, Ethics of…

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Vayishlach 5780-2019

“The Massacre of Shechem, Can it be Justified?” (Updated and revised from Vayishlach 5760-1999)   by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As this week’s parasha, parashat Vayishlach, commences,…

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Rosh Hashana 5770-2009

"The Unexpected Joy of Rosh Hashana" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the first of last week's double parashiot, parashat Nitzavim, we read Moses' forceful charge to the People of Israel…

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Kee Tisah 5774-2014

“Moses Argues with G-d to Save the Jewish People from Destruction” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tisah, features the tragic saga of the Golden Calf, and…

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Bereshith 5775-2014

“The Sad Destiny of the Firstborn Children” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald A prominent feature of the book of Genesis is the struggle for family leadership between the firstborn and the…

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Passover 5775-2015

“Learning to Revere G-d” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald There is a fascinating debate in the Passover Hagaddah regarding the number of plagues that struck the Egyptians at the sea. We are…

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