Holidays

Julian Alper analyzes two paintings which feature etrogim, Marc Chagall’s “Feast Day (Rabbi with Lemon)” and Paula Gans's “In Prayer at Sukkot,” through the lens of a commentary by Rabbi Norman Lamm.

Ranana Dine explores the depictions of suffering in haggadot.

Ezra Sivan asks what light the narratives of Shabbat and the scouts shed on some critical social questions.

Moshe Kurtz explores halakhic and hashkafic considerations surrounding bringing young children to shul.

Ross Weissman offers a stirring poem on hope during the trying times of coronavirus.

Tamar Weissman and Batnadiv HaKarmi explore R. Yonatan's introduction to Megillat Esther, per Masekhet Megillah in the Talmud, and its relationship to biblical history.

The tokhahah in Leviticus 26 is frequently read as a tragedy, warning of the dire consequences of sin and national failure. Ahead of Yom Kippur 5786, Milton Torres-Ceron offers a new reading, informed by the traditional "pardes" method, that frames Leviticus 26 as an affirmation on unwavering divine companionship with Israel.

The Maccabees were renowned as gibborim. But what exactly is gevurah, and what does it mean for dicussions about manhood and Zionism? Tzvi Sinensky uses Hanukkah as a starting point for this contemporary conversation.

Dan Margulies offers a rundown of the sukkah zip-tie construction, the next great halakhic frontier

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.