Four Days of Kristallnacht in Hessen

Stephen Denker reconstructs Bert Katz's experience of Kristallnacht in Nentershausen.

Did the Prophet Amos Predict the Women’s Siyum Daf Yomi?

Yaakov Jaffe explains how Biblical grammar and parables come together in Amos to teach us about women's Talmud Torah.

Beyond Perfect Repentance

Eliezer Finkelman discusses the meaning of perfect repentance.

Beyond the Walls of the Synagogue: Prayer as a Virtue

With lyrical prose, Natan Oliff teaches us how to view prayer as a virtue and let it enter every aspect of our lives, making us into prayerful people.

An Ishbitz-Radzyn Reading of the Judah Narrative: Binah Ba-lev – An Understanding Heart 

In a follow up to her recent piece about Joseph, Batya Hefter traces Judah's character development through the eyes of the Ishbitz-Radzyn masters.

Reclaiming Lag ba-Omer 

Rav Ronen Neuwirth suggests that the strictures of social distancing enable us to reduce this year's Lag BaOmer bonfires - which he sees as a very good thing.

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.

Hanukkah or Hanoch-ah: Illuminating the Origins and Trajectory of an Apocalyptic Holiday

In his latest for the Lehrhaus, Aton Holzer sheds light on the hidden roots of Hanukkah–exploring the political and theological meaning of the holiday from the Second Temple period through the Talmud.

The Philosopher King and the Poet Messiah: Hellenic and Hebrew Republics Compared

In this essay, written in honor of Yom Yerushalayim, Bezalel Naor explores the differing visions for the ideal state held by Plato and the Rabbis, Maimonides and Rabbi Nahman of Breslov.

Holistic Repentance: Life as a Story

Natan Oliff explores the theological implications of teshuva in a world that is God’s prescripted story.