Going Viral

A new poem from Zohar Atkins offers a poetic meditation on life in the COVID world.

That Which Is Beyond Your Gates

In this imaginative short story from David Zvi Kalman, as synagogue attendance shrinks, the buildings themselves begin to grow.

Reclaiming Lag ba-Omer 

Rav Ronen Neuwirth suggests that the strictures of social distancing enable us to reduce this year's Lag BaOmer bonfires - which he sees as a very good thing.

Sharpening the Definition of Holeh Lefanenu: The Diamond Princess and the Limits of Quarantine

Sharon Galper Grossman and Shamai A. Grossman, leading doctors writing from quarantine, explain why even the Noda be-Yehuda, who requires that the sick person be before us, would agree that a public health crisis is subject to the leniencies of pikuah nefesh.

Corona and Seder-ing Alone

How was the original Seder experienced, and how do we constitute a Jewish collective? Joel Levy and Leon Wiener-Dow argue that the collective must begin with the independent-minded individual.

Shots for Tots: Halakhah and COVID-19 Vaccination for Kids

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

Third Dose vs. Third World Countries: Halakhah Approaches COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation

The CDC and FDA have recently endorsed booster shots for the Covid vaccine. But there are those who argue that those doses should be allocated to third world countries instead. Sharon Galper Grossman and Shamai Grossman weigh in about what Halakhah has to say about the issue.

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.

Dear Rabbi, Due Too Soon

In her debut poem, Sophia Katz mourns the loss of a local rabbi.

Fellowship from Plague: Lessons from Passover

Ezra Sivan follows up last year's piece about how the Exodus leveled social boundaries with an article about what the Pesah story teaches us about social distancing today.