An Essential Jewish Text on the Armenian Genocide

Chesky Kopel analyzes an early Zionist text to give insight into Jewish reactions to the Armenian genocide.

Questioning Belief and Belief in Questions

Steven Gotlib reviews Raphael Zarum’s Questioning Belief: Torah and Tradition in an Age of Doubt.

The Fourth Chapter of Avot as an extended reflection on Epicurean Philosophy

In the spirit of Hanukkah, Yaakov Jaffe offers an intriguing thesis tying together a series of Mishnayot in the fourth chapter of Pirkei Avot: they are all responding to various aspects of Epicurean philosophy.

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 Exodus, America’s Ever-Present Inspiration

Stuart Halpern explains how, when faced with uncertainty, danger, and personal and communal hardships, Americans have turned to the story of the Exodus for inspiration.

Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Levi’s Love Song on Jewish Self-Identification for the 7th day of Pesah

Yaakov Jaffe explores Yehuda Ha-Levi's Yom Le-Yabasha.

Aggadic Men: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks’s References to Rabbi Dr. Abraham Joshua Heschel

In honor of the yahrtzeits of Rabbis Jonathan Sacks and Abraham Joshua Heschel, we present Steven Gotlib's study of Rabbi Sacks's complicated engagement with the scholarship and religious worldview of Rabbi Heschel.

Sin-a-gogue: A Must-Read for the Yamim Noraim

Jennie Rosenfeld reviews David Bashevkin's "Sin-a-gogue: Sin and Failure in Jewish Thought."

A Chicken, a Golem, and the Scientific Revolution

How did early modern rabbis respond to the Scientific Revolution? Eli Clark reviews Maoz Kahana's new book A Heartless Chicken.

Written and Sealed (and Stamped) in the Book of Life

We will all be much more distant from each other this Rosh Hashanah. That’s why, argues Ranana Dine, it’s time to revive the tradition of sending physical greeting cards.