Two Paradigms of Teshuvah?

Yehoshua Pfeffer on self-abnegating vs. life-affirming teshuva.

The Problem of Mosaic Authorship You Never Heard of: What is Parashat Bilam?

The Talmud speaks of a mysterious passage on Bilam authored by Moses. What is it?

“Turn it and Turn it, for all is in It:” Ilana Kurshan and the...

The most enjoyable feature of the book is the brilliant and creative integration of the daily Talmudic folio Kurshan studies with experiences of her life.

The First Yeshiva Exile

Reading R. Eliezer b. Hyrcanus and Shammai through an autistic lens, Liz Shayne explores how uncompromising, righteous anger can find a place in the beit midrash.

If Your Wife Is Short, Bend Down and Hear Her Whisper: Rereading Tanur shel...

Miriam Gedwiser Sometimes, returning to a familiar text uncovers something new. In this essay, I hope to reexamine the story of the Oven of Akhnai...

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.

A Time to Mourn: Aveilut as Minor Holiday

Ben Greenfield’s essay, winner of Hadar's annual Ateret Zvi Prize, explores why Hazal chose to situate Hilkhot Aveilut in tractate Moed Katan.

After Lag: Two Readings on The ‘Self-Praise’ of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai

Rabbi Josh Rosenfeld offers insight into the nature of the Jewish mystical tradition by examining some of Rashbi's stories. 

By Whose Blood Do We Live?

Jon Kelsen uncovers a deeper rabbinic meaning to the blood needed to "passover" the Israelites.

Can we Transform the World? An Analysis of the Talmudic Messiah

Atara Cohen considers the theological implications of the Talmud’s surprising majority opinion as to how the Messiah will come.