Bo 5780-2020

“Rational Love and Emotional Love: A Lesson from Tefillin” (revised and updated from Bo 5760-2000)   by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bo, we read about…

Read More

Bo 5760-2000

"Rational Love and Emotional Love: A Lesson from T'fillin" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, Parashat Bo, we read of the concluding three plagues: locusts,…

Read More

Chukat 5767-2007

"The Excesses of Rationality" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald One of the most common issues raised when analyzing a Torah text is the question of juxtaposition: why a particular parasha…

Read More

Jewish Identity

Sign up for one of NJOP’s free Hebrew Reading Crash Courses starting Monday night January 17th (Level I for beginners) and Wednesday night January 19th (Level II for intermediates), and…

Read More

Chukat 5774-2014

“The Inscrutable Statutes” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Chukat opens with the well-known and deeply inscrutable law of the Red Heifer (cow). In Numbers 19:2,…

Read More

Kedoshim 5779-2019

“The Revolutionary Idea of Holiness’” (Revised and updated from Kedoshim 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s parasha, parashat Kedoshim, we encounter a…

Read More

Noah 5775-2014

“The Fate of Humankind is Sealed” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Noah, we read of the deluge that inundated the world, ending human life on earth except for…

Read More

Emor 5779-2019

“The Gift of Celebration” (Revised and updated from Emor 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The second half of this week’s parasha, parashat Emor, presents a review of most of the…

Read More

Kedoshim 5760 – 2000

"The Revolutionary Idea of Holiness" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, Parashat K'doshim, we encounter that magical and revolutionary word which the Torah has…

Read More

Bereshith 5767-2006

"Pardes--the Four Levels of Understanding Torah" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The Talmud in Chagiga 14b, tells the story of four great scholars, Ben Azai, Ben Zoma, Acher, and Rabbi Akiva,…

Read More