Laughter in the Face of Tragedy: The Enduring Resistance of Rabbi Akiva
Miriam Zami’s essay, runner-up to Hadar's annual Ateret Zvi Prize, uncovers the political and theological resistance of Rabbi Akiva’s laughter in the wake of the destruction of the Temple.
The Christian Monks Who Saved Jewish History
Malka Simkovich hunts for Jewish texts in some unlikely places.
Teshuvah: A Radical, Refreshing, and Renewing Approach
Yiscah Smith explores the conceptions of teshuvah presented in the writings of the Piaseczner Rebbe and the Ba’al Ha-Tanya, identifying in them a novel approach to personal growth that speaks to contemporary Jews.
Tola ben Puah: Savior of Israel
With only two verses about him in the Book of Judges, not much is known about Tola ben Puah. Ami Hordes takes clues from his story's text and context to paint a fuller picture of who the judge was and why he was important.
Narcissus and the Nazir
Tzvi Sinensky explores the Talmudic version of the Roman myth of Narcissus
Madda or Hokhmah? Rabbi Jonathan Sacks on the Integration of Torah and General Wisdom
In the next installment of our Torah u-Madda symposium, Dr. Erica Brown reflects on the concepts and values expressed by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt"l in his discussions on the integration of Torah and secular life.
“Justice has not Been Done”: Officer Immunity and Accountability in Jewish Law (Part 1)
David Polsky meticulously analyzes Halakhic sources on the use of force by officers of the law.
Also the Diseases
At the height of the cholera epidemic in 1831, Hatam Sofer delivered a timely sermon on a perplexing midrash to Parshat Ki Tavo. The take-home, suggests Elli Fischer, is all-too familiar in the COVID era.
The Seder is Anything but Orderly
Why is the Haggadah such a disorganized text? Lehrhaus editor Yosef Lindell offers a strikingly novel approach to the dynamic nature of the Passover seder.
Jonah and the Varieties of Religious Motivation
David Bashevkin articulates a religious educator’s perspective on why people become religious
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