Commentary

Can individual autonomy be reconciled with the practice of Halakhah? It can and must, insisted Rav Nachum Rabinovich zz"l. In honor of Rav Rabinovich's sheloshim this past Thursday, David Silverstein explains.

COVID-19 will unquestionably have long-term impacts on synagogue life well beyond the duration of the pandemic. But what will change, and how can shul leadership best anticipate those shifts so as to position our synagogues for success in the future? Judah Kerbel, rabbi of the Queens Jewish Center and Ramaz peers through the looking glass.

Tzvi Sinensky reimagines the utilitarian case for Torah u-Madda. Far from seeing the study of Madda as a concession to the need to earn a livelihood, the new utilitarianism uses cutting-edge scholarship to solve some of the most pressing problems in our schools and communities.

Jeffrey Fox contributes to the Lehrhaus Symposium on the recent OU statement regarding female clergy.

Alan Jotkowitz reviews a newly-published volume of the Rav's writings on Zionism, and unpacks what they can mean for the Jewish State and Diaspora communities today.

Yoni Zolty and Jordan Soffer respond to Jeff Fox's recent article on football and halakhic values.

What motivated the first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Herzog, to work tirelessly on the seemingly quixotic project of running the modern State of Israel on the basis of Halakhah? Reviewing Alexandar Kaye's new book on the subject, Rabbi Shalom Carmy explains.

Rav Moshe Feinstein does not praise the United States for not having fascists and communists, but for having a system of government that is particularly resistant to what came to be known as totalitarianism.

Rachel Levmore asks whether Internet feuds are the proper way to adjudicate halakhic matters.

Sharon Galper-Grossman and Shamai Grossman discuss the obligation for minors to get vaccinated.