Shavuot 5769-2009
"Mother of Royalty" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald In I Kings 2:19, we read that Queen Bathsheba, the mother of the recently coronated King Solomon, came to speak to Solomon regarding his…
Passover II 5772-2012
“G-d Shall Do Battle for You, and You Shall Remain Silent” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald On the seventh day of Passover, we celebrate the salvation of the people of Israel from the hands…
Yitro 5774-2014
“Jethro’s Blessing” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Yitro, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, joins the People of Israel after they had been delivered from the…
B’shalach 5774-2014
“Analysis of the ‘Shira,’ the Song of Moses Crossing the Sea” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat B’shalach, as they cross to freedom through the parted waters…
Passover II 5775-2015
“The Final Days: Expressing Gratitude” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, in his masterful work Sefer HaTodaah (The Book of Our Heritage), explains that the seventh day of…
Tetzaveh 5780-2020
“The True Story of Purim” (updated and revised from Tetzaveh 5761-2001) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week’s parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, speaks of the fashioning of the…
Sukkot-Hoshana Rabbah 5768-2007
"The Festival of Sukkot Comes to a Dramatic Close" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The final day of Sukkot, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, is known as Hoshanah Rabbah. Hoshanah Rabbah,…
Bo 5774-2014
“In the Blink of an Eye” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bo, Pharaoh finally yields to the power and destruction of the Ten Plagues. Rising in the middle of…
The Blessings of the Amidah: Redemption of the Jewish People
The nineteen blessings of the Amidah make up the core of the Jewish prayer service. The fifteenth blessing continues to focus on the future redemption as it beseeches God to send the…