Naso 5766-2006
"A Lesson from the N'seeim--the Tribal Leaders" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's Torah portion, parashat Naso, is almost always read on the Shabbat following the festival of…
The Princes of Captivity
When the First Temple was destroyed., most of the Jews in Israel were exiled to Babylon. Even when the Jews were allowed to return, only about 40,000 Jews returned to the Holy Land. When…
Naso 5765-2005
"A Lesson from the N’seeim--the Tribal Leaders" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s Torah portion, parashat Naso, is almost always read after the festival of Shavuot, except after a…
Naso 5771-2011
"Finding Variety in the Seemingly Identical" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Naso, is the longest parasha of the Torah. It is usually read on the Shabbat that…
Vayakhel-Pekudei 5767-2007
"Leadership and its Perils" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Because of the nuances of the Hebrew calendar, two parashiot are read this Shabbat, Vayakhel and Pekudei, with which the reading…
Shelach 5781-2021
“What’s in a Name?” (updated and revised from Shelach 5762-2002) by, Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s Torah portion, parashat Shelach, the Torah recounts the fateful saga of the…
Shelach 5762-2002
"What's in a Name?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's Torah portion, parashat Shelach, the Torah tells of the twelve men who were sent to scout the land of Canaan, and…
Bamidbar,Shavuot,Weekly Message
Bamidbar-Shavuot 5773-2013
"The Invaluable Legacy of the Ancient Camp of Israel" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Bamidbar, the first parasha in Numbers, the fourth book of the Torah,…
Land Balance
When Joshua led the Children of Israel in to the Promised Land, each tribe received a distinct territory that would be their tribal land. The area of their tribe was not randomly…
Equal Tribes
Each of the twelve tribes of Israel descended from one of Jacob’s twelve sons, and each had distinct qualities for which they were renowned. The tribe of Issachar, for instance, was known…