Medieval

Natan Oliff looks at the various ways Jewish thinkers have found meaning in determinism.

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

AJ Berkovitz explores the "life" of Jewish books, from authors to owners to outside the margins.

Alan Jotkowitz shares insights into Rambam’s Hilkhot Teshuvah

Elli Fischer reads one of Rashi's most famous comments against the grain.

Jonathan Ziring comments on the "Jewishness" of religious tolerance.

The epikorus and the min apparently represent two different kinds of heretic in traditional Jewish literature. Elisha Price traces the evolving meaning of each term in Hazal and medieval writings, clarifying the differences between the major genres of Jewish heresy and helping illuminate for us why they matter.

In a chapter adapted from his new book, Be, Become, Bless: Jewish Spirituality between East and West, Yaakov Nagen suggests based on the Zohar that the world endures when we see Godliness in another person's face.

Hasdai Crescas criticized Maimonides for counting belief as a Mitzvah, arguing that we have no control over what we believe. Dovid Campbell explores a surprisingly common defense of Maimonides that places his views closer to those of Crescas than we might have initially imagined.

Jerome Marcus responds to Bezalel Naor's earlier essay, delving further into the worlds of Maimonides and Rabbi Nahman of Breslov.