Holidays

In an original Hebrew poem for Tishrei 5785, Shoshanah Haberman addresses God directly about the pain and uncertainty of our moment.

Why is the annulment of vows so central to the High Holy Days? Wendy Amsellem discusses this, with a timely message.

Beth Kissileff on the book of Jonah and its relevance on Sukkot.

Zach Truboff draws on personal experience in considering the place of Yizkor on Yom Tov.

Was the teiva an attempt to save Moshe's life? David Fried challenges our assumptions about the purpose of the wicker basket in the river.

Yom Kippur as a mother, explored by The Lehrhaus's Leslie Ginsparg Klein

Leah Sarna argues that this is the Passover to tell the stories of enslaved Jewish women: of the victims of October 7, who were and likely still are subjected to sexual violence, and of the heroic women in the era of the Exodus, who fought to ensure the perpetuation of the Jewish people.

With a novel reading of Josephus and Gittin, Shana Schwartz proposes that the tragedy of the second hurban and the mystery of subsequent Jewish survival may be understood by reference to the physiological knowledge available in classical antiquity.

Stuart Halpern explains how, when faced with uncertainty, danger, and personal and communal hardships, Americans have turned to the story of the Exodus for inspiration.

Eli Rubin reflects on the meaning of revelation, innovation, and history at the giving of the Torah.