Shavat Suru: The First Kinah, Matter and Form
Yaakov Jaffe examines how the form in the Kinnah "Shavat Suru" gives us insight into its broader meaning.
God’s Estranged Wife: Rashi on Song of Songs, Lamentations and Hosea
Through analyses of Rashi's commentaries on Song of Songs, Lamentations, and Hosea, Devorah Schoenfeld explores narratives of the Jewish nation's relationship to God.
Shomron Kol Titein: Let the Silent Sisters Speak and be Consoled
Yosef Lindell examines why Shomron Kol Titein is a fitting conclusion to the daytime kinnot on Tisha Be-Av.
Ha-Kalir’s Kinot – Poetry and Theological Narrative
Zvi Grumet suggests that when read in sequence, the kinot of R. Elazar Ha-Kalir—often seen as the ones most difficult to understand—offer a powerful theological narrative from despair to hope.
The Fox and the Chair
Ayelet Wenger offers a creative, intertextual reading of the story of Rabbi Akiva and the Wolf on the Temple Mount.
The Daring Theology of the Kinnah of the Maharam
Yaakov Jaffe examines the anti-Christian polemic in Maharam of Rottenberg's Kinnah about the burning of the Talmud.
Bernard Malamud’s “The German Refugee”: A Parable for Tishah Be-Av
Eileen Watts explores how Bernard Malamud's "The German Refugee" amplifies the themes of Tisha B'Av.
Hollow Land
Zohar Atkins shares a few poetic excerpts in honor of Tishah be-Av
How Halakhah Changes: From Nahem to the “Tisha be-Av Kumzitz”
Chaim Saiman on halakhic change and the observance of Tisha Be-Av.
Reading Tragedy in Gittin and Gaza
David Polsky explores the similarities and differences between Hamas and the Jewish Zealots at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple.
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