Naso 5777-2017

"G-d's Gift of a Second Chance" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Naso, is the longest of all the parashiot of the Torah. It is appropriately read most often on…

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Va’etchanan 5783-2023

"The Dialectic of Body and Soul" (updated and revised from Va’etchanan 5764-2004) In this week’s parasha, parashat Va’etchanan, we encounter several well-known and significant texts.…

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Emor 5766-2006

"Striving for Perfection" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Emor, the theme of perfection is repeated many times in several related contexts. In Leviticus…

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Emor 5783-2023

“Striving for Perfection” (updated and revised from Emor 5766-2006) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, the theme of “perfection” appears repeatedly in…

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Tisha b’Av

Tisha b’Av The saddest day in the Jewish calendar, believed to be a day which is destined for tragedy.  Guide…

Va’etchanan 5764-2004

"The Dialectic of Body and Soul" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Va'etchanan, we encounter several weighty and significant texts. Among the most prominent…

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The Burial at Betar

In war, a common means of humiliating the enemy is to refuse them burial of their dead (which is forbidden by the Geneva Convention). Certainly, demoralization was the goal of the Romans…

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The Burial at Betar

In war, a common means of humiliating the enemy is to refuse them burial of their dead (which is also forbidden by the Geneva Convention). Certainly, demoralization was the goal of the…

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The Burial at Betar

In war, a common means of humiliating the enemy is to refuse them burial of their dead (which is also forbidden by the Geneva Convention). Certainly, demoralization was the goal of the…

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Va’eira 5769-2009

"Why Didn't the Egyptians Rebel Against Pharaoh?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Va'eira, we learn of the first seven plagues that struck Egypt: Blood, frogs, lice, wild…

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