The Directional Shaking of the Lulav: Bible, Mysticism, and Religious Polemics
Yaakov Jaffe traces the origins and evolution of the custom to shake the lulav in different directions.
Must Creativity and Rigor be Either/Or?
In his review of Michael Hattin’s commentaries on the books of Joshua and Judges, Francis Nataf explores how greater collaboration between creative Tanakh teachers could help reduce the number of overly speculative readings.
On Subjectivity and Pluralism: Sparks of Rav Shagar’s Thought
Udi Dvorkin offers a plea to take Rav Shagar at his full value, which means reading him in the original Hebrew.
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.
What’s Missing In “The View From Pew”
Responding to results from the recent Pew survey, Hillel David Rapp argues that we can limit Orthodox attrition by addressing the bifurcation of Jewish and general learning in high school.
Of Sages, Prophets, and Politics from the Pulpit
Jason Herman examines whether or not rabbis should talk politics in shul.
Creation in a Chaotic Decade: Rabbi Lamm in the 60s
Lawrence Kobrin recalls Rabbi Norman Lamm's 1960s emergence as a pivotal Orthodox rabbi in Manhattan and Jewish intellectual.
Jewish Theology For a Neo-Traditional Age
Steven Gotlib reviews Yehuda (Jerome) Gellman’s book on neo-traditional Jewish theology.
Rabbi Norman Lamm and His Crusade for the Jewish Home
Zev Eleff explores how the Jewish family anchored Rabbi Norman Lamm's sermons and thought during the destabilizing 1960s.
Hebrew Bible or Old Testament? Evaluating the American Biblical Tradition
Did the Founding Fathers derive their biblical values from the Hebrew Bible, or just the Old Testament? Yisroel Ben-Porat reviews "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land."
Site Operations and Technology by The Berman Consulting Group.