My Teacher, Professor Yaakov Blidstein ztz”l
After Professor Yaakov Blidstein's passing on Thursday, Marc Herman recalls his teacher's astonishing blend of scholarly creativity and intellectual humility.
“Lu Yehi”: Between Fragility and Hope
In this thoughtful essay, Cypess reflects on the melody that is carrying Israel in the wake of October 7th.
Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler and the Golden Age of Jewish Medical Ethics
Alan Jotkowitz reflects on Rabbi Moshe Tendler’s unique contributions to Jewish medical ethics.
Rabbi Steinsaltz: My Mentor, Teacher, and Guide
Shmuel Greene describes the lessons he learned from his Rebbe, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz ztz"l
My War Diary
This war diary, presented by Susan Weingarten, relates her experience in a kibbutz on the Gazan border on October 7th and the days following her return to Jerusalem after the Hamas massacre.
Between Aveilut and Clinical Social Work: Interdisciplinary Reflections
Noah Marlowe offers a personal reflection on the experience of simultaneously studying Hilkhot Aveilut and coping with loss from a clinical social work perspective. He explores the similarities and differences between the two lenses and how they could each benefit from being in conversation with each other.
Epilogue
Tikva Hecht’s moving elegy for her mother, a lyric essay told in verse and art, reflects on the fragility of life and the final confession we recite in the Yom Kippur Amidah.
Thoughts on a Death
In this personal reflection, Phil Lieberman addresses the unique pain that accompanies the loss of an abusive parent and considers the uneasy coherence of this pain with Jewish traditions of mourning.
The Tragic Gap: Birkat Ha-Ilanot Amidst COVID-19
Shumel Hain discusses how we can bridge the "Tragic Gap" between the world envisioned in the blessing on budding fruit tress and our current reality of pandemic and tragedy
Professor Menahem Hayyim Schmelzer’s Beloved Books
David Selis and Zvi Erenyi share their memories of JTS Librarian Professor Menahem Schmelzer for his sheloshim.