The Jewish Leap Day: A Halakhic Analysis of a Calendar Conundrum
The secular calendar has its leap day on Feb. 29. On the Jewish calendar, our leap day is 30 Adar I, since Adar in a non-leap year always has 29 days. Yaakov Taubes explores all of the Halakhot pertaining to this unique day.
Wanted: Precision, Nuance, and Avodat Hashem
Jeffrey Woolf contributes to the Lehrhaus Symposium on the recent OU statement regarding female clergy.
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.
Nishmat HaBayit: A Window into the Successes of Yoatzot Halacha
Rabbi Ezra Schwartz reviews Nishmat HaBayit, a responsa collection by the Yoatzot Halacha of Nishmat
Vaccines, Hysteria, and Rabbinic Responsibility: A Plea from the Trenches
Jeremy Brown comments on the history and necessity of vaccination in the Jewish community.
Decision-Making on Matters of Halakhic Public Policy or Meta-Halakhic Issues: Some Tentative Thoughts
Nathaniel Helfgot outlines decision making in matters of halakhic policy and meta-halakhah.
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.
The Directional Shaking of the Lulav: Bible, Mysticism, and Religious Polemics
Yaakov Jaffe traces the origins and evolution of the custom to shake the lulav in different directions.
Are Jews Part of the Global Village? Updating the Paradigms of Tzedakah
Francis Nataf argues that the Jewish ethics of mutual aid force us to re-examine our obligations to non-Jews within and outside of our communities.
Trajectories of Tradition: King David on Skin Lesions and Tent Impurities
AJ Berkovitz traces the reception history of a Midrash Tehillim that seems to equate the reading of Psalms with Torah study, offering a fascinating case study of how tradition evolves.
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