Daniel Deronda and Fate and Destiny: Reflections on Zionism and Feminism
What do you get when you read George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda alongside Rav Soloveitchik’s Kol
Dodi Dofek? A cross between Zionism and feminism, argues Eileen Watts.
A Prehistory of Rav Kook
What can we learn from Rav Kook's writings before he immigrated to the land of Israel? As Yom Ha-Atzma'ut approaches, Levi Morrow reviews Yehuda Mirsky's new prehistory of Rav Kook.
Letters to the Editor: Does Torah u-Madda Answer Today’s Questions?
Today's letters to the editor rethink the utility of Torah u-Madda in today's world. Noam Stadlan reminds us that all knowledge is God's creation and thus inherently valuable, while Larry Grossman (author of “The Rise and Fall of Torah U’Madda“) argues that Torah u-Madda fails to address the various issues that now confront Modern Orthodoxy.
The Dark Side of Torah u-Madda: Chaim Potok and Core-to-Core Cultural Confrontation
The debate about Torah u-Madda and pop culture continues. Noah Marlowe argues that Chaim Potok's literature offers a useful conceptual framework for, and embodiment of, a profound confrontation between Judaism and elite elements of general culture.
Truth in Fiction: Pursuing Torah in Secular Spaces
Margueya Poupko explains how lessons from literature can bring us closer to Torah truths.
Sanctifying the Secular: A Torah u-Madda Approach to Popular Culture
Responding to Moshe Kurtz, Olivia Friedman argues that forging deep connections between Torah and popular culture can be an uplifting and sanctified experience.
Letters to the Editor: The Boundaries of Torah u-Madda
The dynamic conversation continues with three letters to the editor widening our perspective on Torah u-Madda. Steve Gotlib grapples with the challenges of living Torah u-Madda in the real world; Ezequiel Antebi Sacca adds a Sephardic view from Argentina; and Eugene Korn adds insight to the Jewish view on Christianity.
It Will Be Torah and I Am Compelled to Study It: A Philosophy of...
Elinatan Kupferberg argues that the boundaries between Torah and Madda have blurred and evolved throughout Jewish intellectual history. This erudite analysis upends our assumptions about Torah u-Madda and breathtakingly reimagines its past, present, and future.
Torah u-Madda or Torah u-Movies?
Moshe Kurtz regales us with his love of science fiction & fantasy, suggesting that the genre’s literature, movies, and games can teach Torah lessons in ethics and morality, but cautioning that Torah u-Madda ought not to become Torah u-Movies.
Bringing Back Torah u-Madda
Yaakov Bieler details several reasons why Torah u-Madda remains important to our role as Torah Jews and some practical ways we can implement this approach.