Holidays

The call to learn Torah at night surprisingly comes from a verse in Lamentations. Yaakov Weinstein discusses what we can learn from this, and what it means for the practice of staying up on Shavuot.

Matthew Omolesky considers the importance of culture in the face of genocide.

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.

Benjamin Barer traces the word Hevel through Jewish texts, showing how the use of the same word can teach us both about the wisdom of Kohelet we read this past Shabbat and the character of Hevel who we will read about in this week's Parashah.

Harvard Professor Jon Levenson weighs in on what stops the floodwaters: rabbinic creativity or the Temple!

A novel medieval interpretation by R. Yehudah ha-Levi about the counting of the omer may have a surprising basis in rabbinic countering of heresy.

As we approach a new calendar year, Ben Corvo's poem meditates retrospectively on this past Rosh Ha-Shanah and the darkness of everyday life.

Yitzhak Szyf explores the piyyut of Shnei Zeitim, a once well-known addition to the Shabbat Hanukkah services that subtly critiques the Hasmoneans for usurping the kingship while serving as priests.

Ezra Sivan presents a new analysis of Shabbat and how it throws light on so much more in the Torah.

Yosef Lindell recounts the controversy surrounding different attempts at translating the Tishrei prayers.