“Filling In” and “The Poet of Auschwitz”
Two new poems by Temima Weissmann address national calamities, both past and present.
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.
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.
Joy at Last: Reflections on the End of Esther
Erica Brown explores the deeper meaning of joy in Megillat Esther and beyond.
Jonah and the Varieties of Religious Motivation
David Bashevkin articulates a religious educator’s perspective on why people become religious
After Lag: Two Readings on The ‘Self-Praise’ of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai
Rabbi Josh Rosenfeld offers insight into the nature of the Jewish mystical tradition by examining some of Rashbi's stories.
Beyond Holocaust Time
Eli Rubin reviews Alan Rosen's The Holocaust’s Jewish Calendars: Keeping Time Sacred, Making Time Holy.
Song of the Sea: Making a Space for Joy and Sorrow
Zach Truboff draws on personal experience in considering the place of Yizkor on Yom Tov.
This is not a poem
This is Not a Poem and other soon-to-be-published high holiday poems by Yehiel Poupko.
Wherefore Art Thou, Moses?
What does Shakespeare have to say about the Exodus, Moses, and the power of storytelling? Shaina Trapedo explores how the Bard's work can speak to us during this unprecedented Pesach season.
Site Operations and Technology by The Berman Consulting Group.