Chanukah Values
Prioritize values of kindness, thoughtfulness and morality over physical beauty.
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,…
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…
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…
Mikeitz,Chanukah,Weekly Message
Mikeitz-Chanukah 5763-2002
"In Those Days, In These Times" by Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald The story of Joseph, as we have written in the past, may be seen as the story of an assimilator struggling with his identity.…
Vayikra 5778-2018
"The Sins of a Leader” by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald This week’s parasha, parashat Vayikra introduces the third book of the Torah, Vayikra, Leviticus. The parasha deals with the…
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…