Holidays

Joe Wolfson explores what a comparison between Homer and the Bible can teach us about Teshuva.

Ari Levisohn considers forgiveness through the lens of the Divine encounter through which the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are revealed.

In this essay, Fernando de Beer considers ideas of morality and ethics underlying the Unetaneh Tokef prayer.

Zoe Jick Fertik explores the parallels between holidays on the Jewish calendar.

Thomas Freeman reflects on the meaning the shofar has taken on throughout his life.

Yaakov Jaffe analyzes what the Kinah about the Ten Martyrs says about heroism.

Max Hollander argues that the Kinnah of Aish Tukad is not only a lament over the destruction of Jerusalem, but also a testament to Jewish resilience.

Michael Kurin explores different interpretations of what marks an end of mourning the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash.

One of the central concerns of the work of Rav Shagar is translation, in both its literal and figurative versions. Michael Blank explores Rav Shagar's use and conception of translation by examining the way he puts the writings of Rebbe Nachman, Jacque Lacan, and Emmanuel Levinas in conversation.

Whose idea was Sinai? A midrash contends that Sinai was first conceived by Jethro. Ezra Zuckerman Sivan supports this Midrash from the Torah's text, and explains why Jethro was the appropriate vehicle for providing the rationale of Sinai.