Culture

In his latest for the Lehrhaus, Dan Ornstein creatively imagines the story of the Talmudic sage Rabbi Yohanan through his teachings on the Book of Job. The short story is followed by a reflection on the methodology and power of "contemporary midrash."

The question of whether or not your writing is Jewish is not up to you, because writing ultimately belongs to the reader. Krauss’ avatar answers Ozick perfectly: “Jewish literature would have to wait, as all Jewish things wait for a perfection that in our hearts we don’t really want to come.” In the end, perhaps all we can do is kvetch and vacillate between different answers to the question of what is Jewish literature—because, of course, the answer was never the point.

Jeffrey Saks explores the works of the blind Israeli poet, Erez Biton.

Rabbi Daniel Reifman reviews Christine Hayes' Whats Divine about Divine Law?

In this short story, Eric Rozenman imagines the life of a woman in an Eastern European shtetl guided by her late husband's ghost.

Author Risa Miller reviews Beth Kissileff's debut novel, Questioning Return.

In honor of Father's Day, Yosef Bronstein shares thoughts about the Talmud's perspective on the relationship between fathers and children.

Julie Goldstein reflects on her recent Yom Kippur experience and why it matters for Orthodox women everywhere.

Six new poems by Elhanan Nir—published here with English translation and annotation—capture the grief and discontinuity of this moment.

David Selis and Zvi Erenyi share their memories of JTS Librarian Professor Menahem Schmelzer for his sheloshim.