A Golden Anniversary for “Jerusalem of Gold”
Akiva Shapiro offers reflections on Naomi Shemer's culture-changing song.
Before Erev Yom Kippur
In this poem, Mel Waldman considers life and its tribulations over coffee.
On Yom Kippur, determinism and national unity
Aton Holzer explores the role of free will and its limits in the Yom Kippur liturgy.
Was God Angry at Sarah?
Ben Greenfield
God isn’t angry with Sarah, when she laughs at the idea of birthing a child in her old age (Gen. 18:12-15). God is...
Epilogue
Tikva Hecht’s moving elegy for her mother, a lyric essay told in verse and art, reflects on the fragility of life and the final confession we recite in the Yom Kippur Amidah.
Jewish Responses to the Forgiveness Paradox
Is true forgiveness possible? Michael Kurin explores the doubts raised by prominent twentieth century philosophers and considers how Jewish tradition offers a radically different conception of repentance and forgiveness, one that enables people to alter their reality vis-à-vis God and one another.
Wisdom and Human Pretention: The Riddle of Shlomo and its Resolution
Special for Sukkot, we are honored to publish this piece by Rav Nahum Rabinovitch zz"l, appearing first the first time in print. Special thanks to Elli Fischer for translating and Koren for permission to publish.
Frum and Free? Passover and Jewish Views on Liberty
Aton Holzer offers a novel re-reading of the Seder, arguing that it reflects and recreates four types of liberty that can be found in the Exodus narrative, as well as a fifth form of freedom.
The Making of “Lights”
Shmuel Klitsner's insider perspectives on making a Hanukkah classic.
“Filling In” and “The Poet of Auschwitz”
Two new poems by Temima Weissmann address national calamities, both past and present.
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