Of Divine Nostrils and the Primordial Altar: A Pipeline of Sanctity
What does the makeup of the altar drainage pipes tell us about the nature of holiness? Shlomo Zuckier explores!
Humor: The Refuge of the Wise
Rami Reiner examines how our understanding of a Talmudic passage could change if we allow for the possibility of it being a comedy.
Aggadah as Midrash Halakhah: Methodologies and Hiddush in the Tanur shel Akhnai Narrative
In this piece, Rabbi Dvir Cahana and Rabbanit Shalhevet Cahana illustrate different methods of relating halakha and aggadah in Talmudic analysis through the lens of the Talmudic narrative of the Oven of Akhnai.
Voices from Outside the Cave: Women and the Story of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai
Kate Rozansky explores the life of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai through the prism of the women in his life.
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.
Cities of Crumbling Walls: What The Talmud Can Teach Us About Living Through A...
What can the Talmud teach us about living through a pandemic? Avi Strausberg argues that it teaches us quite a bit about strengthening acts of kindness and solidarity in our communities.
The Talmud’s Economic Behavior, and the Study of Behavioral Economics
Shlomo Zuckier explores some surprising connections between the Talmud and the field of behavioral economics.
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.
The Utility of Ambiguity
Dina Brawer explores "certainty" and "doubt" in rabbinic tradition.
To Be a Stiff-Necked People
Is Jewish stubbornness a stereotype or a source of pride? In the Torah, it appears as a criticism, but also as a veiled praise for the people of Israel’s unique power of commitment. Zach Truboff highlights this strength in an application of the words of the Piaseczner Rebbe to our current moment of crisis.
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