Between Angels and (Wo)Men: The Talmudic Approach to Sexuality

In their latest for the Lehrhaus, Aryeh and Penina Dienstag study Talmudic narratives that balance the tension between sexual asceticism and pleasure through an overlooked literary motif: angels.

A Call for Order: Maimonides and the Mishnah

Yaakov Taubes explores the background to Maimonides’s explanation for how the Mishnah is ordered.

An Alternate View on Rav Aharon Lichtenstein and Academic Talmud Study

Lawrence Kaplan In his recent Lehrhaus essay “Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein and Academic Talmud Study,” Professor Avraham (Rami) Reiner proves himself to be a genuine disciple...

Rebuke, Repentance, and Renewal: A Literary Analysis of David’s Character in II Samuel 12

Natan Levin examines King David’s character through a close reading of his narratives in the Book of Samuel.

A Biblical Defense of Cities

Yehuda Goldberg explains how the Bible's depictions of the Tower of Babel and of Jerusalem teaches us about the risk and potential of cities.

Pesah as Zeman Simhateinu: What Does it Mean to Rejoice Over Victory?

Judah Kerbel discusses why we say an abbreviated Hallel on the last six days of Pesah and contemplates what that says about the war in Israel; self-defense is a must, as is gratitude toward God, but we also hold space for the losses on the other side.

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.

Halakhah and Social Change

A response to Yosef Bronstein's study on Halakhah's engagement with societal norms

Aleinu and Genesis: Against the Twin Idolatries of Universalism & Ethnonationalism

Does the Torah support a universalist or ethnonationalist political orientation? In this timely essay, Ezra Zuckerman Sivan explores the meaning behind key stories in Genesis through the framework of the Aleinu prayer.

Remembering the Future:Reflections on the Six Remembrancesfor a People That Needs to Learn to...

In many siddurim, Six Remembrances from biblical Jewish history are printed following the morning service. They do not appear chronologically, nor in their order of appearance in the Torah. This article suggests that their arrangement forms an arc emphasizing the importance of Jewish education.as a bridge to the future.