Lot’s Wife Was Never Salt (And Why That Highlights the Greatness of Abraham)
Mark Glass explores the implications of a little-known interpretation in which Lot's wife never turned to salt.
The Role of Vulnerability in Jewish Life
In his first article for the Lehrhaus, Akiva Garner explores the phenomenon of vulnerability through both Jewish texts and modern psychology–and highlights its unrecognized significance in Jewish living and meaning.
Is Liberal Zionism Dead?
Steven Gotlib reviews Shaul Magid’s new, provocative book about a contemplated “counter-Zionist” future for Israel.
Song of the Sea: Making a Space for Joy and Sorrow
Zach Truboff draws on personal experience in considering the place of Yizkor on Yom Tov.
Hebrew Bible or Old Testament? Evaluating the American Biblical Tradition
Did the Founding Fathers derive their biblical values from the Hebrew Bible, or just the Old Testament? Yisroel Ben-Porat reviews "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land."
Saiman’s Halakhah: Rabbinic Law as Culture
Suzanne Last Stone reviews Chaim Saiman's Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law.
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.
Rav Nachum Rabinovitch and the Art of Ancient Dyeing
Baruch Sterman, founder of the @Ptil Tekhelet Institute, tells the story of Rav Rabinovitch's pivotal role in the discovery of the tekhelet - and an episode of "The Worst Jobs in History," a 2004-2006 BBC series.
What Does Pursuing Tzedek Actually Entail?
In its opening verses, Parshat Shoftim describes a judicial system that enshrines pursuing Tzedek, or justice, as a core value. Benjamin Barer unpacks a Gemara in Sanhedrin that provides three distinct conceptions of the obligation to pursue justice, suggesting how we might build a more sacred society.
Hilkhot Nashim: A Cautious Revolution
Gila Bieler-Hoch reviews Hilkhot Nashim, published by JOFA and Maggid Books.