Dr. Norman Lamm

Dr. Norman Lamm’s Trailblazing Talmudic Methodology

Tzvi Sinensky makes a case to consider Rabbi Norman Lamm as pathbreaking Talmud innovator.

Letter to the Editor: Response to Leead Staller on Euthanasia

Can Halakhah really countenance euthanasia? Alan Jotkowitz responds to Leead Staller

The Philosopher King and the Poet Messiah: Hellenic and Hebrew Republics Compared

In this essay, written in honor of Yom Yerushalayim, Bezalel Naor explores the differing visions for the ideal state held by Plato and the Rabbis, Maimonides and Rabbi Nahman of Breslov.

The Beit Midrash in the Age of Snapchat

Shira Hecht-Koller Earlier this year, Apple released the iPhone X. When the first iPhone was released in 2007, I was completing my second year of...

What Does Pursuing Tzedek Actually Entail?

In its opening verses, Parshat Shoftim describes a judicial system that enshrines pursuing Tzedek, or justice, as a core value. Benjamin Barer unpacks a Gemara in Sanhedrin that provides three distinct conceptions of the obligation to pursue justice, suggesting how we might build a more sacred society.

The Inverted Halakhah of Simhat Torah

Chaim Saiman comments on the nature of Simhat Torah.

Pinhas’ Parts: Of Priests, Peace, and Disturbing the Piece

What was the covenant of peace God gave Pinchas? R. Shlomo Zuckier puts the pieces together to find out

Rabbinic Moral Psychology

Chaim Trachtman explores the relationship between moral instincts and rational thinking in Rabbinic Psychology.

Did Rashi Draw the Diagrams in his Commentary to Eruvin?

Rashi’s commentary to Eruvin contains many explanatory diagrams. In anticipation of the Daf Yomi cycle’s study of the tractate beginning tomorrow, Eli Genauer shares some manuscripts that shed light on whether Rashi drew these pictures.

Semikhah and Mesorah: A Response to the OU Panel

Jeffrey Fox contributes to the Lehrhaus Symposium on the recent OU statement regarding female clergy.