Vayeira 5771-2010
"Lessons from the Evil of Sodom" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Vayeira, after the messengers (who were really angels) inform Abraham that his wife, Sarah,…
Eikev 5763-2003
"Is There Truth to the Notion of Spiritual Accountability?" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This coming week's Torah portion, Parashat Eikev, contains the well-known second paragraph of the…
Bechukotai 5774-2014
“The Role of Exile in Jewish Theology” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald As we have noted previously (Kee Tavo 5762-2002), parashat Bechukotai is one of the two parashiot in the Torah,…
Eikev 5782-2022
“Is There Truth to the Notion of Spiritual Accountability?” (updated and revised from Eikev 5763-2003) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah portion, parashat Eikev, contains…
Kee Tavo 5767-2007
"Can the Promise of G-d Keep the People Holy?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Kee Tavo is one of the two parashiot in the Torah that features the Tochacha, the terrifying…
Kee Tavo 5762-2002
"A Contemporary Interpretation of an Ancient Reproof" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This coming week's parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, is one of two parashiot in the Torah that are known as…
Military Trappings
On October 22, 1973, the tenuous ceasefire between the Israelis and the Egyptians attempting to end the Yom Kippur War, was broken. As a result, the Israel paratroopers captured the road…
Putting Chanukah in Historical Perspective
The events of Chanukah took place about 150 years after the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE), which brought 40 years of civil war to his empire. Eventually, the empire was divided…
Toledot 5781-2020
“The Ancient Origins and Practice of Anti-Semitism” (updated and revised from Toledot 2000-5761) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Toledot, we learn that…
Kee Tavo 5781-2021
“A Contemporary Interpretation of an Ancient Reproof” (updated and revised from Kee Tavo 5762-2002) This coming week’s parasha, parashat Kee Tavo, is one of two parashiot in the…