Pekudei 5763-2003

"The Lesson of the Basin: 'Don't Judge a Book by its Cover'" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Pekudei, opens with a reckoning of all the precious materials that…

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Pekudei 5782-2022

“The Lesson of the Basin: ‘Don’t Judge a Basin by its Cooper’” (updated and revised from Pekudei 5763-2003) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Pekudei, opens with…

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It’s Not Vanity

“Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose the fairest of them all?” Snow White’s wicked step-mother is the perfect example of how society associates mirrors with vanity and wickedness. Believe…

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It’s Not Vanity

As today is International Women’s Day, Jewish Treats highlights contributions made by Jewish women in Egypt. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, whose the fairest of them all?” Snow White’s…

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Vayakhel 5779-2019

"Jewish Women and Jewish Destiny" (Revised and updated from Vayakhel 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The vast majority of this week’s parasha, parashat Vayakhel, deals with…

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Vayakhel 5760-2000

"Jewish Women and Jewish Destiny" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, Parashat Vayakhel, we encounter an intriguing set of verses. The vast majority of Parashat…

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Va’eira 5768-2007

"Moses, the Exalted Leader" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Political campaigns in democratic societies have become a rather sorry sight. Candidates in the U.S. announce their candidacies,…

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Three Times Strong

The beauty of Jewish living is that it often strives to bring together the spiritual and the practical. Judaism is a growth-oriented religion. At the same time, it is also a religion of…

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The Jews of Ecuador

While Ecuador does not have a large Jewish population, (there are fewer than 400 active members of the community), its history mirrors that of many South American and Central American…

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Vayeishev 5779-2018

“The Mystical Aspects of the Sale of Joseph” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayeishev, we read of the sale of Joseph by his brothers, which resulted…

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