Torah Personalities

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.

Martin Lockshin reviews Daniel A. Klein’s translation of Samuel David Luzzatto’s commentary on the Book of Vayikra, the latest volume in Klein’s project to translate all of Shadal’s insightful and ever-interesting Torah commentary.

Tova Warburg Sinensky shares her stirring eulogy for her Zeida Dr. Norman Lamm zz"l, offering a glimpse of her grandfather's unyielding support of his granddaughter, then a young lady searching for a deeper connection with God.

Marc B. Shapiro reviews a new edited volume by Yoram Hazony, Gil Student, and Alex Sztuden that offers a traditional defense of revelation in light of modern biblical criticism.

Rav Da'vid Sperling, Rosh Beit Midrash at Nishmat and long-time student of Rav Yehuda Herzl Henkin Ztz"l, shares his eulogy from the funeral of his Rav.

Zev Eleff and Menachem Butler explore the reception of Moses Mendelssohn in American Orthodox Judaism, focusing on a curious commotion surrounding the bicentennial of Mendelssohn's death

Moshe Simon-Shoshan sheds new light on the Rav's approach to pluralism and academic Jewish studies.

Drawing upon his expertise in Anglo-Jewish history, Benjamin Elton traces the intellectual journey and career of the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt"l. As a brilliant young scholar, Rabbi Sacks rose to prominence through the British Chief Rabbinate, but he transcended that role to become a global phenomenon.

Louis Jacobs, the controversial British rabbi and theologian, died 15 years ago. Steven Gotlib reviews Harry Freedman’s new book on Jacobs’ life, and considers how what happened to Jacobs should inform the way we draw the boundaries of Orthodoxy today.

Yehuda Fogel comments on the nature of controversy and dispute through the eyes of R. Nahman of Bratslav