Should Jacob have conquered Canaan?
David Curwin explores the evidence that Jacob may have made a fatal mistake in not conquering Canaan upon returning.
Joy at Last: Reflections on the End of Esther
Erica Brown explores the deeper meaning of joy in Megillat Esther and beyond.
Joyful Planting: COVID and the Prohibition of Planting During the Three Weeks
Erica Brown considers the little-discussed prohibition on planting during the Nine Days and what it teaches about the nature of mourning and joy.
A Call for Order: Maimonides and the Mishnah
Yaakov Taubes explores the background to Maimonides’s explanation for how the Mishnah is ordered.
An Ishbitz-Radzyn Reading of the Joseph Narrative: The Light of Reason and the Flaw...
Batya Hefter traces Joseph's character development through the eyes of the Ishbitz-Radzyn masters.
Rashashian Kavanot as Concrete Poetry
In advance of the kabbalist R. Shalom Sharabi's 244th yahrtzeit, which falls out this Shabbat, Jeremy Tibbetts offers a primer on Rashash's kabbalistic kavanot and the underappreciated art of concrete poetry.
Grief, Gratitude and … Grapes? Tears on Tishah Be-Av as Tools of Tikun and...
Steven Weiner writes on the significance of tears on Tishah Be-Av and how they relate to the thanks of birkat ha-mazon.
(Re)reading Shir ha-Shirim during Covid-19
Tzvi Sinensky argues compellingly for a new way to understand the relationship between Shir HaShirim and Pesach in times of quarantine.
“Let Truth Spring Up from the Ground”: Truth’s Changing Role Throughout History
Natan Oliff explores the evolving role of truth throughout Tanakh and later Jewish history.
Cantillation: Some Observations – Part 2
In Part II of his series on trop, William Gewirtz explains the principle of recursion and how it helps us interpret texts.
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