Tetzaveh 5769-2009
"The Urim and Tumim--The Mysterious Priestly Accessory" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week's parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, is concerned primarily with the vestments of the priests.…
Communicating with God
There is an old joke in which the President of the United States receives an exorbitant phone bill after calling God, while the Prime Minister of Israel gets to call God as a free local…
Tetzaveh 5776-2016
"Feeling the Pain of Others who are in Need" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald Parashat Tetzvah focuses almost entirely on the holy vestments that are worn by the כֹּהֲנִים, the lay and the…
Why is Jerusalem Not Mentioned in the Torah?
In the first aliyah of parashat Re’eh, the Torah mentions 16 times an unknown place where God will choose to rest His Presence. Now, thousands of years later, we know that place to be the…
Why is Jerusalem Not Mentioned in the Torah?
In the first aliyah of parashat Re’eh, the Torah mentions 16 times an unknown place where God will choose to rest His Presence. Now, thousands of years later, we know that place to be the…
Shoftim 5767-2007
"The King of Israel: The Privileged and Obligated Monarch" By Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In parashat Shoftim, we read the biblical statement regarding appointing a king in Israel. The…
Tetzaveh 5760-2000
"Clothes: A Reflection of the Divine Image" by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week's parasha, Parashat Tetzaveh, we read of the big'dei k'huna, the priestly garments, with very…
Tetzaveh 5774-2014
“The Choshen–the Breastplate of the High Priest” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Tetzaveh, focuses primarily on the priestly vestments, the garments worn by the…
Tetzaveh 5779-2019
“Clothes: A Reflection of the Divine Image” (Revised and updated from Tetzaveh 5760-2000) by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald In this coming week’s parasha, Parashat Tetzaveh, we read of the…
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…