Judaism and Politics

Historian Jonathan Sarna places a recent decision by an Orthodox synagogue to modify the "prayer for the government" into sharp historical focus.

Jerome Marcus comments on the connection between davening with sinners and playing politics.

Chaim Saiman suggests that, in the midst of a political transition, we may be on the brink of a "Modern Orthodox Moment."

David Polsky meticulously explores officer immunity in Halakha and compares it with the American legal standard of qualified immunity.

  Mark Glass I. It is fair to say that Sefer Vayikra is not known for its narratives. It is devoted, for the most part, to the...

Joshua Leifer’s new book illustrates the collapse of several paradigms that long sustained American Jewish life. In his review, Steven Gotlib notes that Leifer’s search for a viable, non-separatist, traditional Judaism overlooks several existing models of Jewish life and practice.

Yitzchak Blau and Michael Broyde respond to recent articles that have driven conversation.

Moshe Kurtz explores the different meanings of silence in Halakhah in light of recent political events

Elli Fischer reads one of Rashi's most famous comments against the grain.

With a novel reading of Josephus and Gittin, Shana Schwartz proposes that the tragedy of the second hurban and the mystery of subsequent Jewish survival may be understood by reference to the physiological knowledge available in classical antiquity.