Matot 5765-2005
"Love of G-d Trumps Lust for Life" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week's parasha, parashat Matot, G-d speaks to Moses and tells him (Numbers 31:2): "N'kom nik'mat b'nay Yisrael…
Matot-Masei 5766-2006
"Taking a Stand Against the Banality of Evil" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In the first of this week's double parashiot, Matot-Masei, we read of the battle that the people of Israel waged…
Matot 5774-2014
“Hakarat HaTov: Expressing Appreciation” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Matot, we read of G-d’s command to Moses to avenge the Children of Israel against…
Pinchas 5778-2018
"Pinchas the Zealot?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald……
Pinchas 5770-2010
"The Colorful Biography of Pinchas" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald At the end of last week's parasha, we learned that a prominent couple performed a lewd act in public in order to directly…
Bereshith 5763-2002
"Being Moral in an Increasingly Immoral Environment" Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Bershith, is one of the richest of all the narrative portions of the Torah. One…
The Antidote for Baseless Hatred
The calendrical period between the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz and the Fast of Tisha b'Av is known as Bein Hame'tzarim (in the midst of distress) and is referred to colloquially as the…
Harari. Michael Harari
Most people have never heard the name Michael “Mike” Harari. Given his vocation, he probably would approve of his anonymity. Born in Tel Aviv, Michael Harari (1927-2014), enlisted in the…
Devarim 5781-2021
“Judging Our People Favorably” (Updated and revised from Devarim 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah portion, parashat Devarim, is always read prior to Tisha b’Av,…
Bereshith 5782-2021
“Being Moral in an Increasingly Immoral Environment” (updated and revised from Bereshith 5763-2002) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Bereshith, is one of the…