Pat Yisra’el and Two Approaches to the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah
David Fried explores the humra of pat Yisrael during the aseret yemei teshuvah.
“Like a Fleeting Dream”: U-netaneh Tokef, Dreams, and the Meaning of the High Holy...
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
Schrodinger’s Hametz
Leah Cypess imagines the what-ifs of Pesach cleaning.
Purim and the Joke of Jewish Sovereignty
Zach Truboff argues that Purim reminds us of our vulnerability even with the State of Israel.
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.
The Customs of Sefirah aren’t about Mourning. They are about Quarantine.
Ben Greenfield looks at the similarity between Sefirah observances and quarantine, and suggests a new way to understand the connection.
Don’t Forget David’s Literary Temple! A Rebuttal to Levi Morrow
Harvard Professor Jon Levenson weighs in on what stops the floodwaters:
rabbinic creativity or the Temple!
The Written Law
In this whimsical story, David Zvi Kalman takes an information theory perspective in tackling what it might have been like for Moses to receive the Law.
A Tone Meant
Dov Lerner weaves together Scripture, midrash and rabbinic commentary in urging closer attention to tone in public discourse.
Where is the Justice in the Tenth Plague?
Ezra Sivan asks: Where is the justice in the tenth plague?
Site Operations and Technology by The Berman Consulting Group.