Amalek and the War Against War

As we reflect on ever-present evil by reading Parashat Zakhor this Shabbat amidst the shocking human tragedy of the war in Ukraine, Zach Truboff brings to light a derasha by Rav Moshe Avigdor Amiel written a century ago that speaks to this very moment.

My Rebbe

Chaim Davis shares reflections based on his family’s (and his) close relationship with Rabbi Steinsaltz.

“Everyman’s Gadol”: An Appreciation of Rav Dovid Feinstein zt”l

Zvi Romm, a Rav on the Lower East Side for the last eighteen years, shares insights into the unexpected and remarkably democratic personality of the Rosh Yeshiva.

Ron Santo and the Jews

A historical document on the Jewish love for the Cubs all-time great third baseman.

The Maculate Conception: Introducing a Symposium on Rabbi Prof. David Weiss Halivni

Elli Fischer Just over a month ago, the Jewish world lost Rabbi Professor David Weiss Halivni, one of its greatest and most creative Talmudic minds...

Personal Autonomy in the Thought of R. Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch

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.

The Earth-Shattering Faith of Rav Shagar

Zach Truboff on Rav Shagar, Israeli Post-Modernism and American Modern Orthodox Judaism.

Madda or Hokhmah? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on the Integration of Torah and General Wisdom

In the next installment of our Torah u-Madda symposium, Dr. Erica Brown reflects on the concepts and values expressed by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt"l in his discussions on the integration of Torah and secular life.

Leviticus, Leonard Cohen, and the Paradox of Rest

Sarah Rindner asks what the Book of Leviticus, Leonard Cohen and the Liberty Bell all have in common.

The First Yeshiva Exile

Reading R. Eliezer b. Hyrcanus and Shammai through an autistic lens, Liz Shayne explores how uncompromising, righteous anger can find a place in the beit midrash.