Judaism and Politics

Menachem Butler responds to Michael Bernstein's article about the propriety of placing flags in shul sanctuaries.

Yisroel Ben-Porat offers historical, hashkafic, and personal reflections on what’s often called the “Judeo-Christian” tradition and whether a Torah u-Madda outlook can embrace the study of Christianity.

In this essay, Weinberg reflects on the symbolic significance of tefillin and its message for our Jewish future.

As the war in Israel approaches its third year, Zach Truboff calls upon Israeli society and its friends abroad to confront the spiritual and moral cost of the violence.

Is Jewish stubbornness a stereotype or a source of pride? In the Torah, it appears as a criticism, but also as a veiled praise for the people of Israel’s unique power of commitment. Zach Truboff highlights this strength in an application of the words of the Piaseczner Rebbe to our current moment of crisis.

Zac Benjamin analyzes instances of discourse in Jewish text, and considers the implications for today's political discourse

R. Meir Simcha Cohen of Dvinsk, the legendary author of Meshekh Hokhmah and Ohr Sameiah and early-20th century community leader, passed away exactly one century ago. In honor of this centennial, Chaim Oscar Jacob reappraises the legacy of R. Meir Simcha.

Politics from the Pulpit Redux: Don Seeman builds on Jason Herman.

In this timely essay, Noam Weissman of OpenDor Media argues for a form of Israel education that tackles challenging topics in Israel’s history.

By examining the prayers for rain and dew through the lens of meteorology and Rabbi Soloveitchik’s Lonely Man of Faith, Chaim Trachtman presents a unique religious model for thinking about climate change.