Scholarship

Dan Ornstein juxtaposes the narratives of Cain and Jonah and explores the motif of anger.

The tokhahah in Leviticus 26 is frequently read as a tragedy, warning of the dire consequences of sin and national failure. Ahead of Yom Kippur 5786, Milton Torres-Ceron offers a new reading, informed by the traditional "pardes" method, that frames Leviticus 26 as an affirmation on unwavering divine companionship with Israel.

Yisroel Benporat juxtaposes the Akeidah with the Splitting of the Sea as similar tests of faith.

In honor of Rosh Hashanah 5786, Akiva Weisinger retells and reimagines the parable of the king "who wished to be seen, but did not want to be seen."

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

Tzniut, much discussed in the Modern Orthodox community, is not an end but a means, prompting us to the higher value of awareness of being in the Divine presence.

The significant linkages between the Garden of Eden narrative and the commandment concerning cutting down trees in time of war suggest a profound message about how we should live in an imperfect world.

As part of his Legal Fictions creative project, Dovid Campbell reimagines the content of Mishna Yevamot 16:6 in an evocative narrative.

Jordan Soffer examines the two narratives of Calev and Yitro through a lens of effective community leadership.

The classification of certain people as "athenes" receives wide expression in Talmudic stories and even practical halakhic application. Shayna Herszage-Feldan considers the varieties of asthenes descriptions in Talmudic texts, proposing that the category encompasses the condition that is today diagnosed as contamination-focused obsessive compulsive disorder.