Hanukkah or Hanoch-ah: Illuminating the Origins and Trajectory of an Apocalyptic Holiday
In his latest for the Lehrhaus, Aton Holzer sheds light on the hidden roots of Hanukkah–exploring the political and theological meaning of the holiday from the Second Temple period through the Talmud.
Man is not God: The Limits of Imitatio Dei
David Fried clarifies the concept of imitating God through Rashi's oft-neglected reading of “It is not good for man to be alone”
The Wanderings of Adam and Cain – A Tale of Midrashic Migration
Shlomo Zuckier on the mechanics of a midrashic motif.
From Lawlessness to Respectability: A Response to Eli Putterman
Lawrence Kaplan responds to Eli Putterman's essay on Reish Laqish and sexuality.
Cultural Migrations of a Hanukkah Pilgrimage
Elli Fischer explores the ideological components of developments in Hanukkah traditions.
Gilgamesh and the Rabbis: Knowledge and its Price from Uruk to the Beit Midrash
What do Adam, Enkidu, and Reish Lakish all have in common? Eli Putterman explores.
Miriam’s Song and the Persistence of Music in Dark Times
Why did the women bring musical instruments out of Egypt? In her first Lehrhaus article, musicologist Rebecca Cypess draws a fascinating historical analogy between biblical and African-American slavery to shed light on the Exodus in Jewish tradition.
Does Lying Make You A Liar? On Truth And Truthfulness in Rabbinic Thinking
Alex Ozar catalogues types of truthfulness in rabbinic literature.
What Could (and Couldn’t) the Rabbis Do?
What sort of powers did Hazal have in the first century? Ari Lamm wonders.
Confronting Biblical Criticism: A Review Essay
Marc B. Shapiro reviews a new edited volume by Yoram Hazony, Gil Student, and Alex Sztuden that offers a traditional defense of revelation in light of modern biblical criticism.
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