My Rebbe

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

Boardwalk Closed (April 2020)

Hillel Broder reflects on the edges in life, in his latest poem for the Lehrhaus.

The Tefillin Strap Mark: In Search of an Obscure Minhag

In tribute to his son's hanahat tefilin and Bar Mitzvah, Lehrhaus Consulting Editor Jeffrey Saks explores a little-known, mysterious practice that appears in Agnon's short story Two Pairs.

Philosophy and Exegesis: Which Leads? A Review of Aaron Koller’s Unbinding Isaac

Zvi Grumet reviews Aaron Koller’s new book on the Akedah and evaluates his surprisingly novel approach to this formative biblical story.

The Chosen Ones

Jennie Mintz revisits the death camps in her powerful new poem for the Lehrhaus.

A Yahrzeit & A Pandemic: Thoughts On R. Amital In The Age of...

In commemoration of Rav Amital's tenth Yahrzeit, Joe Wolfson, JLIC Rabbi at NYU, shares how the legacy of Rav Amital inspired his community's humanitarian efforts during the Covid19 pandemic.

My Last Conversation with Rav Amital

With the 10th yarhtzeit of Rav Yehuda Amital, founding Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, upcoming this Sunday, we are honored to publish some poignant remembrances from his students. First up is Yehuda Mirsky of Brandeis University, who recalls his last conversation with Rav Amital.

The Baptism

Enter the Baltic Coast in the late 1980's, in George Kuchinsky's reflection on a childhood encounter with anti-semitism.

The Loneliest Communal Prayer

As the tumultuous events of 2020 continue into the heady days of summer, the Lehrhaus is looking back, with short reflections on the moments we have been thinking about. Our first reflection is from new Lehrhaus editor Yosef Lindell, thinking about his lonely return to communal prayer.

The Invention of Jewish Theocracy: A Review of Alexander Kaye’s New Book

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.