Thoughts on a Death

In this personal reflection, Phil Lieberman addresses the unique pain that accompanies the loss of an abusive parent and considers the uneasy coherence of this pain with Jewish traditions of mourning.

Of Warriors and Wolves

In these difficult times for Israel, Aharon Frazer of Alon Shvut is thinking about the fundamental sanctity of human life and the long game. Can war and weapons really take us toward the messianic age?

There Are No Lights in War: We Need a Different Religious Language

A growing list of dati le’umi leaders and thinkers frame war as a desirable state and even an opportunity for spiritual elevation. Religious Israeli activist Ariel Shwartz traces this trend with alarm and argues that it contradicts deep-rooted Torah values. Translated by Mordechai Blau.

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.

Civilian Casualties in the Light of Halakhah and Ethics: Revisiting Rav Shaul Yisraeli’s Analysis

Aryeh Klapper analyzes Rav Shaul Yisraeli’s classic work on civilian casualties in Halakhah.

Darkness We Have Come to Dispel: Between The Light of Hanukkah and the Black...

Mois Navon explores what makes Hanukkah so special.

How to Feel “Sight Damage”: A Case Study on Sensory Imagination and Halakhic Understanding

Yonah Lavery-Yisraeli offers a careful examination of an enigmatic discussion in the Shulhan Arukh’s laws on neighborly relations. She demonstrates how “radical presence” and attention to sensory details is an essential strategy for halakhic decision-making.

Istanis: Is it Ever Too Hot for Halakhah?

Moshe Kurtz looks as discomfort as a factor in Halakha

The Staggering Brilliance of Rambam’s Fourth Chapter of The Laws of Repentance 

Alan Jotkowitz shares insights into Rambam’s Hilkhot Teshuvah

Restoring the (Recitation of) Korbanot

Pressed for time, people often skip reciting the korbanot section of the morning prayers. With the High Holidays approaching, Judah Kerbel makes the case that the korbanot are far more central and halakhically significant to our prayers than we often realize.