Should American Orthodox Jews Have Fasted on July 12, 2024?

Yaakov Jaffe and Menachem Butler explore the Halakhot of when fasting is proper and when it’s not.

No Milk, No Trust

Beth Kissileff explains how Moses' complaint about not being the Israelite's nursemaid shows how he is unfit for leadership.

Hesed, Gevurah, and Emet: Do These Attributes Actually Describe our Forefathers?

Ben Greenfield explains that the attributes commonly associated with our forefathers are not attributes at which they excelled, but rather attributes with which they struggled.

Catching up to Israel: A Yom Ha’atzmaut Reflection on the Post-Pesah Parshah Gap

Shmuel Hain comments on the leap year parshah-gap between Israel and the Diaspora.

Subjective Experience in Halakhah: Music During Sefirah as a Case Study

Judah Kerbel explores how differing approaches to listening to music during Sefirat ha-Omer balance the appropriate role for subjectivity in halakhic decision-making.

Confronting Biblical Criticism: A Review Essay

Marc B. Shapiro reviews a new edited volume by Yoram Hazony, Gil Student, and Alex Sztuden that offers a traditional defense of revelation in light of modern biblical criticism.

Privilege and Power in the Torah

In this thought-provoking piece, Aharon Frazer traces the approach to power and privilege in the Torah from Genesis through Deuteronomy, and offers a framework for the ethical use of power in our own times.

Cantillation: Some Observations – Part 1

William Gewirtz explores the value of cantillation.

Rabbi Yehudah ha-Nasi’s Yom Kippur

Shlomo Zuckier explores the nature of Yom Kippur and its relationship to atonement.

The Sacrifice of Obedience

Shlomo Zuckier asks what we can learn from Shaul's mistakes in this week's Haftara.