What Could (and Couldn’t) the Rabbis Do?
What sort of powers did Hazal have in the first century? Ari Lamm wonders.
Revelation Deferred but not Denied: the Golden Calf as a Rabbinic Origin Story
Amitai Bin-Nun provides a fresh and intriguing perspective on the story of the Golden Calf by reading it in light of the Talmudic passage in Menahot detailing an encounter between Moses and R. Akiba on Mt. Sinai where God is tying crowns to the letters of the Torah scroll.
Personal Autonomy in the Thought of R. Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch
Can individual autonomy be reconciled with the practice of Halakhah? It can and must, insisted Rav Nachum Rabinovich zz"l. In honor of Rav Rabinovich's sheloshim this past Thursday, David Silverstein explains.
When Law Fails Us: Lessons from Rabbinic Responses to Crimes We Cannot Punish for...
Sarah Zager puts #MeToo in conversation with the Talmudic discussion of the death penalty.
Practicing Neo-Hasidism: Insights from Arthur Green’s Writings
Jonah Mac Gelfand explores the neo-Hasidic theology of obligation to do mitzvot that emerges from the fascinating writings of Rabbi Arthur Green.
Lo Yilbash and Gender Difference: A Rejoinder to Moshe Kurtz
Responding to yesterday’s article by Moshe Kurtz, Lehrhaus editor Tzvi Sinensky presents an alternative read of the Mitzvah of lo yilbash.
Think Passover Guides are Getting Stricter? Think Again
Yosef Lindell offers a brief history of Pesah guides.
Rabbi Yehudah ha-Nasi’s Yom Kippur
Shlomo Zuckier explores the nature of Yom Kippur and its relationship to atonement.
The Invention of Jewish Theocracy: A Review of Alexander Kaye’s New Book
What motivated the first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Herzog, to work tirelessly on the seemingly quixotic project of running the modern State of Israel on the basis of Halakhah? Reviewing Alexandar Kaye's new book on the subject, Rabbi Shalom Carmy explains.
The Making of “Lights”
Shmuel Klitsner's insider perspectives on making a Hanukkah classic.