On the Freedom to Pray: A Response to Professor Jonathan Sarna

Jonathan Muskat responds to Jonathan Sarna regarding a proposed change in the text of the Orthodox Jewish prayer for the government.

Renew Our Days as Days of Old

On Yom Ha'atzmaut, Zach Truboff reflects on Rav Shagar's insistence that the Israeli present must be rooted in the past, and explores the redemptive power of Torah as an answer for modernity.

Mitzvah Merchants and their Made-in-America Toys

Zev Eleff examines some of the toys peddled around by mitzvah merchants and other fascinating features of Ultra-Orthodox culture. 

Narcissus and the Nazir

Tzvi Sinensky explores the Talmudic version of the Roman myth of Narcissus

There Is Nothing New Under the Sun: A Reply to Gil Perl

In response to Gil Perl's Postmodern Orthodoxy, Gidon Rothstein asks for another look at Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein and the limits of pluralism and what we consider "truth."

Torah u-Madda for All?

Leah Sarna addresses the perceived disconnect between the ideal Torah U-Madda lifestyle and the gendered reality of advanced Torah study for women.

Know it All: Of Jewish Philosophers and Doctors

Chaim Trachtman squares biology with Spinoza and Maimonides.

The End of Contradiction: Resolving the Mysteries of The Guide to the Perplexed

Josh Frankel reviews Lenn Goodman’s new work of commentary on Moreh Nevukhim, which brings Rambam’s work to life for careful, contemporary readers.

Daniel Deronda and Fate and Destiny: Reflections on Zionism and Feminism

What do you get when you read George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda alongside Rav Soloveitchik’s Kol Dodi Dofek? A cross between Zionism and feminism, argues Eileen Watts.

Torah u-Madda or Torah u-Movies?

Moshe Kurtz regales us with his love of science fiction & fantasy, suggesting that the genre’s literature, movies, and games can teach Torah lessons in ethics and morality, but cautioning that Torah u-Madda ought not to become Torah u-Movies.