Hearing the Shepherd from Tekoa

Ethan Schwartz reviews Yitchak Etshalom’s new volume on the prophet Amos, considering ways in which the author succeeds and fails to recreate the divine roar of Amos’ message.

Why is Tabernacle Construction the Foundation of Shabbat?

Ezra Zuckerman Sivan explains the connection between Shabbat and the Tabernacle.

Remembering the Future:Reflections on the Six Remembrancesfor a People That Needs to Learn to...

In many siddurim, Six Remembrances from biblical Jewish history are printed following the morning service. They do not appear chronologically, nor in their order of appearance in the Torah. This article suggests that their arrangement forms an arc emphasizing the importance of Jewish education.as a bridge to the future.

Leadership Through Retreat: A New Perspective on the Book of Esther

The biblical figure of Esther is often interpreted by traditional and modern commentators as a heroine of active leadership. Naama Sadan offers a novel perspective, according to which Esther confronts national crisis in female-coded ways, triumphing and saving her people through internally-focused activism.

A Word Search Adventure

Mollie Fish reviews Mitchell First’s new book, From Eden to Exodus: A Journey into Hebrew Words in Bereshit and Shemot.

A Torah Theodicy: The Very Goodness of Evil

Gavriel Lakser offers a new approach to the problem of evil based on the beginning of Genesis.

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.

Man vs. Prophecy? A New Look at the Classic Discussion of Predetermination in the...

The Mei Ha-Shiloah’s statements on predetermination pose a theological challenge to foundational Jewish doctrines. In an analysis weaving together several Torah narratives and Izhbitzer commentaries, Reuven Boshnack proposes an empowering interpretation of the Mei Ha-Shiloah.

Mikeitz and the Miracles of Hanukkah: A Study of Metaphors and Interpretations

David Schwartz explores thematic similarities between the Hanukkah miracle and Pharaoh’s dreams.

Ishmael and Moses: Everything Is Foreseen or Freedom Is Given?

The stories of Hagar and Ishmael's banishment and subsequent rescue by the angel and that of a cast-out baby Moses on the Nile rescued by Pharaoh's daughter are seemingly dissimilar, but this close reading by David Curwin argues that their strong parallels have a lesson to teach about the importance of being active and not succumbing to passivity.