A Year in Review – 2022
As 2022 comes to a close, the Lehrhaus team is proud to feature some highlights from our contributions this past year. Yet again, we have published at least one hundred original pieces across a wide variety of genres.
Letters to the Editor: Responses to Michael Broyde on Time-bound Commandments
Two readers respond to Michael Broyde's recent article on time-bound commandments. Leah Sarna critiques Broyde's omission of female scholarship, and Avi Siegal argues that Broyde's unifying theory skews the data.
Why Are Women Obligated in Some Time-Bound Positive Commandments and Exempt from Others? A...
Michael Broyde offers a new theory for why halakhah obligates women in some time-bound positive mitzvot and exempts them from others.
Eliezer Melamed, Unpredictable and Non-Tribal Posek: The Case of Women’s Roles
David Silverstein explores the recent attempts to ban Rav Eliezer Melamed and his already-classic Peninei Halakha.
Torah u-Madda for All?
Leah Sarna addresses the perceived disconnect between the ideal Torah U-Madda lifestyle and the gendered reality of advanced Torah study for women.
A Year in Review – 2021
As 2021 comes to a close, the Lehrhaus team is delighted to highlight many of the thought-provoking essays we’ve published this year, with a diverse array of incredible thinkers and writers.
A Kinnah in Kislev: The Enduring Elegy of Dolce of Worms
In honor of the yahrtzeit of Dolce, the wife of Rabbi Eleazar of Worms, Chaya Sima Koenigsberg explores Rabbi Eleazar's moving elegy for his wife and reflects upon Dolce's character as a model for Koenigsberg's own life and the lives of Jewish women today.
The Zogerke’s Vort
The zogerke or firzogerin, once the vernacular translator in the women’s section of the synagogue, has faded into distant memory. Dalia Wolfson reimagines her for our times.
The Mikveh Never Closed: What the Pandemic Has Taught Us About Mikveh
Last year at this time, when the pandemic brought tremendous upheaval to Jewish communal institutions the mikveh remained open for use. In this expansive piece, Mijal Bitton and Elana Stein Hain examine the communal response to mikveh during COVID-19, explore the experiences of women who chose to use--or not use--the mikveh during this time, and offer constructive recommendations for the future.
The Feminist Case for Home Economics
There was a time when many day schools featured home ec classes, but those days are behind us. Lindsey Bodner makes the case for reintroducing an updated version of this course in our curricula.