When The Earth Moves
This day in history: 501 C.E., the coastal city of Acco (Israel) was destroyed in an earthquake. One of the blessings recited every morning is: “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the…
Balak 5768-2008
"The 'Mazal Tov' Conundrum" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Balak, Balaam, the prophet to the nations, offers a series of four prophecies. The first three…
Sorcerers Beware
In Sanhedrin 67b, Rabbi Ashi states that he saw “Karna’s father blow his nose violently and streamers of silk issued from his nostrils.” Some magic tricks really do stem from ancient…
A King, a Ghost and a Witch
Across the Western world, children are reveling in the realm of the un-dead, an off-shoot of a distinctly non-Jewish holiday (Halloween). Yet the underlying interest in ghosts, goblins…