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 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.
Rabbi Yehudah ha-Nasi’s Yom Kippur
Shlomo Zuckier explores the nature of Yom Kippur and its relationship to atonement.
The Utility of Ambiguity
Dina Brawer explores "certainty" and "doubt" in rabbinic tradition.
Loyal As A Dog: How to Read “Jewish Art”
Marc Michael Epstein explores the nature of animal motifs in medieval Jewish manuscripts.
Cutting a Peace: The Story of Ketiah bar Shalom
Shlomo Zuckier offers a close literary reading of the fascinating Ketia bar Shalom narrative on Avodah Zarah 10b!
The Nazir and the Priest
Yoni Nouriel examines an episode in the Talmud where Shimon Ha-Tzadik describes his encounter with an impure Nazir.
By Whose Blood Do We Live?
Jon Kelsen uncovers a deeper rabbinic meaning to the blood needed to "passover" the Israelites.
Two Paradigms of Teshuvah?
Yehoshua Pfeffer on self-abnegating vs. life-affirming teshuva.
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!
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