Hillel’s Living God
Tzvi Sinensky offers a fresh look at one of Rabbinic Judaism's most important mottos.
The Fourth Chapter of Avot as an extended reflection on Epicurean Philosophy
In the spirit of Hanukkah, Yaakov Jaffe offers an intriguing thesis tying together a series of Mishnayot in the fourth chapter of Pirkei Avot: they are all responding to various aspects of Epicurean philosophy.
Bulbasaur & Bishul: An Adar-Fueled, Unnecessarily In-Depth Analysis of a Nonsensical Halakhic Question
In a rare piece of Lehrhaus Purim Torah, Mark Glass explores—with surprising halakhic rigor—whether the Pokémon named Bulbasaur’s use of a Solar Beam attack would constitute cooking on Shabbat.
Don’t Forget David’s Literary Temple! A Rebuttal to Levi Morrow
Harvard Professor Jon Levenson weighs in on what stops the floodwaters:
rabbinic creativity or the Temple!
In Plain Sight: Jewish Masquerade from Clueless to the Rabbis
Why have stories of Jewish masquerade captured audiences since ancient times? In her latest, Malka Z. Simkovich explores the hidden meaning behind dressing up, from the Second Temple to '90s cinema.
Imagining Ourselves Into the Beit Midrash
Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld offers a reflection on the role of imagination in bringing about the recent women's Siyyum ha-Shas.
By Whose Blood Do We Live?
Jon Kelsen uncovers a deeper rabbinic meaning to the blood needed to "passover" the Israelites.
Overnight Eggs and the Evolution of Humrah
Jeremy Brown considers the deeper significance of kashrut organizations' new humrah regarding eggs that were left out overnight.
Halakhah’s Insiders and Outsiders
Shmuel Hain Reviews Chaim Saiman's Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law.
Secular Music and the Jewish Soul
The Talmud criticizes the heretic Elisha ben Avuyah, or Aher, for listening to Greek music. But what did he do wrong? Todd Berman uses a close reading of Rashi’s comments on the Talmudic passage to explain.
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