The Duality of Kisuy Ha-Dam
I. Introduction: The Puzzle of Vayikra 17
The mitzvah of kisuy ha-dam, the commandment to cover the blood of a slaughtered bird or wild animal,...
Shoftim 11: Vows, Leadership, and Sacrifice
Ori Bach analyzes differing interpretations of Yiftach's vow, and its outcome, in the book of Shoftim.
Halakhah and Social Change
A response to Yosef Bronstein's study on Halakhah's engagement with societal norms
Understanding the Will of God in Psalm 132
In this essay, William Goloboy elucidates Psalm 132 and the Divine choice to prohibit King David from building the First Temple.
These and Those … But Definitely not Those!
In response to Tzvi Sinensky's earlier essay, Andrew Bennett presents Jewish legal scholar Robert Cover's and noted antisemite Carl Schmitt's thoughts on elu ve-elu.
Avot 5:6: The Mouth of Korah’s Earth and the 2nd Edition of the...
We only rarely have the opportunity to compare and analyze instances where a rabbi or scholar changed his interpretation over time, yet R. Yom Tov Lipman Heller published his Mishnah commentary, Tosafot Yom Tov, twice in his lifetime. Yaakov Jaffe examines the evolution of R. Heller's interpretation of the term “the Mouth of the Earth” in Pirkei Avot.
Three Sonnets
Jeffrey Burghauser's three poems draw on the biblical and rabbinic imagination.
The Breslover’s Song
Jerome Marcus responds to Bezalel Naor's earlier essay, delving further into the worlds of Maimonides and Rabbi Nahman of Breslov.
From Lawlessness to Respectability: A Response to Eli Putterman
Lawrence Kaplan responds to Eli Putterman's essay on Reish Laqish and sexuality.
Translating Theory into Practice to Revolutionize the Teaching of Talmud
Yaakov Bieler continues the conversation on Talmud education, introducing "action research" to the discussion.
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