For the Freedom of Religion
January 16th is marked on some United States calendars as National Religious Freedom Day in commemoration of the acceptance of Thomas Jefferson’s statute for religious freedom by the…
Appreciate Freedom of Religion
The custom to play with bows and arrows on Lag Ba’omer parallels that of dreidels on Chanukah. When the autocratic governing powers outlawed the study of Torah, these toys were used as…
Appreciate the freedom of religion afforded to all Americans
The Founding Fathers’ addition of the “Bill of Rights” was a revolutionary moment in human history, where nation-states were enjoined to be tolerant of different forms of spiritual…
Philosophy, Religion, A Jewish Civilization
Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan was born on June 11, 1881, in Lithuania. His family moved to America in 1889. After receiving a traditional Jewish education, Kaplan studied at the Jewish…
Tetzaveh 5766-2006
"Drawing Close to G-d" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, G-d instructs the people to make sacred garments for the priests to wear when performing the…
Re’eh 5771-2011
"Listening to the Message" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Re’eh, Moses continues his exhortation to the Jewish people, imploring them to remain faithful to…
Speech of Jacob Henry
Though I will not conceal the surprise I felt, that the gentleman should have thought proper yesterday to have moved my expulsion from this house, on the alleged grounds that I…
Va’etchanan 5763-2003
"Why the Sh'ma?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This past Shabbat is known as "Shabbat Chazon." Its name derives from the opening words of the Haftorah (the prophetic message) of Isaiah,…
Va’etchanan 5782-2022
“Why the Sh’ma?” (updated and revised from Va’etchanan 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Va’etchanan, we encounter, in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, one of…
Writing a Law For Freedom
Thomas Jefferson is renowned for being the author of the Declaration of Independence. But, this was only one of Jefferson’s many, many accomplishments. It is interesting to note that, per…