Chanukah Values
Prioritize values of kindness, thoughtfulness and morality over physical beauty.
Yom Kippur 5770-2009
"Shabbat Shabbaton--The Ultimate Shabbat" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald When are artists at their most exalted state of creativity? Is it when they dip their brushes into the colorful…
Noah 5767-2006
"The Curse of Ham; The Blessing of Shem and Yafet" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Those who harbor possible doubts about the Divine authorship of the Torah had better come up with some…
Vayechi 5764-2004
"Can It Be a Mitzvah to Lie?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald The late great Bible teacher, Nehama Leibowitz, alerts us to a major issue that appears in the narrative of this week's parasha,…
Metzorah 5779-2019
“The Ultimate Value and Sanctity of Human Life in Judaism” (Revised and updated from Metzorah 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Metzorah, continues the…
Shelach 5774-2014
“Do Not Follow After the Desires of Your Heart and Eyes” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald While the major theme of parashat Shelach concerns the scouts who return from the Land of Israel with…
Shelach 5766-2006
"Who was Caleb?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Shelach is probably the saddest parasha in the Torah. It is in this weekly portion that the Israelite men of the Exodus generation…
Re’eh 5773-2013
"How Far Must We Go to Avoid Evil?" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this week’s parasha, parashat Re’eh, we learn of the Biblical command that the People of Israel must destroy all…
Vayechi 5784-2023
Urgent message: Given the most challenging situation in Israel at this time, I urge all to pray for the bereaved families, the hostages, the missing and the many casualties. Please try to…