Holidays

Man’s actions—even those that seem fleeting and insignificant—can have an impact, positive or negative. Oren Oppenheim explores themes of u-Netaneh Tokef

James Diamond takes a fresh approach to Maimonides's Passover theology and "Elijah's Cup."

Dan Ornstein explains how three Talmudic stories about mishloah manot and matanot le-evyonim on Purim can sensitize us to how to relate to the recipients of these gifts.

Through a careful reading of the Tosefta and its parallels, David Matar argues that Hillel led the Pharisaic faction to a populist victory over the Sadducean priests over the matter of offering the Pesach Sacrifice on Shabbat.

Poet Yehoshua November notices a defining characteristic of contemporary poetry—fixation on the ordinary. In light of Hasidic theology, November argues that appreciation for the holiness of the ordinary underlies Megillat Esther and the celebration of Purim.

In this essay, Michael Kurin analyzes the book of Esther in the context of the Second Temple and the diaspora.

Miriam Zami’s essay, runner-up to Hadar's annual Ateret Zvi Prize, uncovers the political and theological resistance of Rabbi Akiva’s laughter in the wake of the destruction of the Temple.

Harris Bor meditates on the world of Passover in his new poem for the Lehrhaus.

Meir Ekstein contransts Rav Soloveitchik’s and Rav Lichtenstein’s respective approaches to Teshuva.

Tzvi Sinensky explores the hidden world of Esther with the help of Nathaniel Hawthorne.