Jewish Thought and History

Jewish Thought and History

A Jewish Theology of Depression

Atara Cohen thinks through what our texts have to say about depression.

The Haunted Yeshivah: Abaye and the Torah of ADHD

Elli Fischer examines the interplay between Talmudic Halakhah and Aggadah.

The Development of Neo-Hasidism: Echoes and Repercussions Part I: Introduction, Hillel Zeitlin, and Martin...

In part one of this series, Ariel Mayse provides an introduction to the history of neo-hasidism, through the voices of Hillel Zeitlin and Martin Buber.

The Origins of Jewish Universalism: What it is, and Why it Matters

Malka Simkovich provides a valuable corrective on the parameters of universalism in Judaism and Christianity.

The “Between-the-Lines” Faith of Rabbi Hershel Schachter

Zev Eleff takes us through the theology of one of American Orthodoxy much-discussed but less-analyzed rabbinic leaders, at least from this point of view.
Rav Kook

The Hasidism of Rav Kook

With newly found material, Bezalel Naor places Rav Kook's Hasidut into historical and literary context.

Sarah Schenirer and Innovative Change: The Myths and Facts

Did elite rabbinic figures jumpstart Bais Yaakov, or was it a grassroots women's movement? Leslie Ginsparg Klein explains.

A Modern Orthodox Hedgehog for a Postmodern World: Part 1

Gil Perl argues that Modern Orthodox currently lacks a “Hedgehog Concept,” namely something at their core that they passionately believe they do better than anyone else in the world. He argues that Or Goyim, as articulated by 19th century luminaries like Netziv and Hirsch, is the Hedgehog concept that can engage Modern Orthodox Youth in a postmodern world.

A Jewish Perspective on God’s Presence in Islam

Yakov Nagen examines attitudes towards Islam in Jewish thought.

Mysticism and its Alternatives: Rethinking Maimonides

David Fried forwards the surprising thesis that Maimonides was a medieval mystic.