Thoughts on a Death
In this personal reflection, Phil Lieberman addresses the unique pain that accompanies the loss of an abusive parent and considers the uneasy coherence of this pain with Jewish traditions of mourning.
The Challenges of the Gaza War and Growing Antisemitism
Yosef Blau, Senior Mashgiah Ruhani at Yeshiva University, wonders about the direction of Religious Zionism after October 7 and considers the role of Modern Orthodoxy outside of Israel.
The Great Reckoning: Is It Time to Rethink Higher Education for Jewish Students?
In this next installment in our Israel symposium, Erica Brown argues that for Jewish students after October 7, choosing secular college is just not the choice it used to be.
Rack Up Those Mitzvot!
When we boil matters down to their essence, what is the underlying difference between a yeshivish and centrist Orthodox worldview? Tzvi Goldstein argues that it’s not Torah Umada, Zionism, or women’s roles; these are all symptomatic of a deeper debate about this world and the World to Come.
“Certainty Has Never Been Mine”: The Denominational Eclecticism of David Ellenson
Just in advance of the shloshim for David Ellenson, the former president of Hebrew Union College, Jonathan D. Sarna pays tribute to a man whose life, work, and friendships spanned the Jewish denominational divide.
Neo-Hasidism and its Discontents
In his latest for Lehrhaus, Steven Gotlib considers Neo-Hasidism’s continued inroads into Orthodox thought and practice in his review of Contemporary Uses and Forms of Hasidut, the Orthodox Forum volume edited by Shlomo Zuckier.
Rabbi Lamm, Sukkot, and the Spiritual Perils of Materialism
Can we solve the growing problem of materialism in the Orthodox community? Tzvi Sinensky explains how Rabbi Norman Lamm’s Sukkot sermons shine some light on the matter
On Gizzards and the Making of Rabbis
Ezra Schwartz uses artificial intelligence and a famous story about gizzards as a prism to discuss the role of the rabbi in the modern age.
Letters to the Editor: Responses to Emmanuel Bloch and Laurie Novick on Reclaiming Dignity
Our recent article by Emmanuel Bloch on the book Reclaiming Dignity generated much discussion. Now, two readers respond.
Reclaiming the Classical Sephardic Tradition: Tracing its Origins and Evolution
Avi Garson traces the rise and fall of the classical Sephardic tradition and calls for a renewed return to its fundamental principles.