Hollow Land
Zohar Atkins shares a few poetic excerpts in honor of Tishah be-Av
Written and Sealed (and Stamped) in the Book of Life
We will all be much more distant from each other this Rosh Hashanah. That’s why, argues Ranana Dine, it’s time to revive the tradition of sending physical greeting cards.
Ivri Anochi: A Tribute to the Paradox of Jewish Pride
Shlomo Zuckier takes a closer look at the cultural and theological underpinnings of this hit new Orthodox music video.
Between “Reid” and Learning: Behag on Sefirat Ha-Omer
Tzvi Sinensky comments on the pitfalls of being overly dependent on the "Talmudic reid."
Subjective Experience in Halakhah: Music During Sefirah as a Case Study
Judah Kerbel explores how differing approaches to listening to music during Sefirat ha-Omer balance the appropriate role for subjectivity in halakhic decision-making.
The Directional Shaking of the Lulav: Bible, Mysticism, and Religious Polemics
Yaakov Jaffe traces the origins and evolution of the custom to shake the lulav in different directions.
Rabbi Lamm, Sukkot, and the Spiritual Perils of Materialism
Can we solve the growing problem of materialism in the Orthodox community? Tzvi Sinensky explains how Rabbi Norman Lamm’s Sukkot sermons shine some light on the matter
Queen Aster and Queen Esther
Ariel Clark Silver describes how Queen Esther’s story inspired women’s rights activist Louisa May Alcott’s short fable of an Aster who wisely ruled the kingdom of the flowers.
Pat Yisra’el and Two Approaches to the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah
David Fried explores the humra of pat Yisrael during the aseret yemei teshuvah.
Yatziv Pitgam: Poetry as Talmud Commentary
How should we understand Yatziv Pitgam, the enigmatic poem recited in the Haftarah for the second day of Shavuot? Tzvi Novick’s close reading reveals it to be a paean to the Torah and those who study it.