Yom Kippur 5760-1999

"How does G-d Judge?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald How does one prepare for Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment, when our deeds of the past year, and especially the past week, are evaluated…

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Yom Kippur 5780-2019

“How does G-d Judge?” (Updated and revised from Yom Kippur 5760-1999) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald   How does one prepare for Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgment, when our deeds of the…

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Shemot 5765-2004

"In the Merit of Miriam" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, parashat Shemot, we learn of the oppression of the Israelites at the hands of the Egyptians, as well…

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Tetzaveh 5765-2005

"A Flame in Every Jewish Heart" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, focuses primarily on the design and manufacture of the priestly vestments. The…

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Yom Ha’atzmaut 5760-2000

"Being Judged by a Different Yardstick" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This coming week we celebrate Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. Yom Ha'Atzmaut occurs on the fifth of Iyar, which,…

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Shemot 5771-2010

“Pharaoh’s Three Counselors” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Shemot, the intense suffering of the Israelites in Egypt begins. The rabbis of the Midrash are…

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Weights and Measures

The last century has seen the rise, fall and transformation of several major economic-political philosophies (socialism, communism, capitalism). The primary economic philosophy of the…

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Chanukah Heroines

Chanukah Heroines There are two famous stories about women associated with Chanukah, the story of Yehudit and the story of…

The Pungency of Peppers

While some people love adding “heat” to everything that they eat, January 22 has been designated as “Hot Sauce Day.” Hot sauce is made by crushing or pureeing raw, cooked, smoked, or…

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Remembering the Akeidah

In neither of the two Torah references to the holiday of Rosh Hashana (Leviticus 23:23-25, Numbers 29:1), is there a specific mention of the shofar, the ram's horn. Only…

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