The Anti-Spiritual Rabbi: A Student’s Perspective
Shlomo Spivack discusses the anti-spirituality of his teacher, Rav Menachem Froman.
Shylock: An Unlikely Jew Named Jacob
Victor M. Erlich offers insight into an infamous Shakespearean character.
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.
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.
God, Torah, Self: Accepting the Yoke of Heaven in the Writings of Rav Shagar
Rav Shagar's postmodern insights on accepting the yoke of Heaven, for your pre-Shavuos reading pleasure!
Poems for a World Built, Destroyed, and Rebuilt
Six new poems by Elhanan Nir—published here with English translation and annotation—capture the grief and discontinuity of this moment.
Rav Kook on Culture and History
Zach Truboff explores Rav Kook's fascinating philosophy of history, focusing on five recently translated essays.
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.
There Are No Lights in War: We Need a Different Religious Language
A growing list of dati le’umi leaders and thinkers frame war as a desirable state and even an opportunity for spiritual elevation. Religious Israeli activist Ariel Shwartz traces this trend with alarm and argues that it contradicts deep-rooted Torah values. Translated by Mordechai Blau.
Welcome to the Jungle: Shababniks Meet the Spotlight
Sarah Rindner reviews Shababniks and its portrait of haredi life.