Contemporary

In honor of Flag Day, Michael Bernstein argues that national flags do not belong in our shul sanctuaries. Drawing on halakhic responsa, news reports, and photographic evidence, Bernstein locates the practice of displaying flags in shuls in its historical context and proposes that flags do not ever belong in prayer spaces.

Max Hollanders compares the theological issues raised by alien life and AI.

Jared Rutner explores Rabbi Sacks’s economic views.

Yisrael Kashkin explores similarities between Yekkes and Hasidim.

In this essay, Thomas P. Balázs considers Edgar Allan Poe as a springboard to consider what makes a life meaningful

Tanya's description of the Godly soul as a literal portion of divinity is an empowering notion for many spiritual seekers. It is also, however, inconsistent with longstanding Jewish theological doctrine regarding the unity of God. Elisha Price examines several possible interpretations of Tanya's words, placing them in a broader kabbalistic and rabbinic context, to suggest that Chabad's conception of the soul is both "rational and precedented."

In the anniversary month of Yitzchak Rabin's assassination, Aton Holzer considers definitions and perspectives of who is a killer and what it means to kill.

In this essay, Yehoshua November presents a model for preparing for the High Holidays

In this essay, Danny Groner reflects on the elements that make a synagogue a true house of worship.

Chaim Trachtman compares science and theodicy based on a novel read of the book of Job.