No Milk, No Trust
Beth Kissileff explains how Moses' complaint about not being the Israelite's nursemaid shows how he is unfit for leadership.
The Power of Secrets: Jacob, Laban, and the Passover Haggadah
What led the Rabbis of the Seder to present Laban as a more diabolical enemy of the Jews than Pharaoh? Erica Brown shows how Laban took advantage of Jacob's insecurities as he arrived empty-handed at Laban's home.
From Kayin to Korah: The Fellow Founders of Foment
Shlomo Zuckier wonders why the earth opened its mouth for both Korah and Kayin.
The Voice and the Sword: A Meta-Narrative in Rashi
Dan Jutan locates a fascinating meta-narrative within Rashi's commentary.
Fearless Leadership:Nehemiah son of Hacaliah Learns from Moses and Aaron
In this second-place prize-winning essay for Hadar’s annual Ateret Zvi contest, Nehemia Polen approaches a vexing episode in the Torah through new lens: what if Moses and Aaron were denied entry to the Land of Israel not because of what they did when obtaining water from the rock but because of where they escaped to right before?
Rivkah’s Existentialism: Wholeness and Brokenness
This past Shabbat, Rivkah took center stage, making a dramatic decision that altered the course of her descendants’ histories. Sruli Fruchter examines the angst that preceded Rivkah’s fateful actions.
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?
Narcissus and the Nazir
Tzvi Sinensky explores the Talmudic version of the Roman myth of Narcissus
The Nazir and the Priest
Yoni Nouriel examines an episode in the Talmud where Shimon Ha-Tzadik describes his encounter with an impure Nazir.
Korach
A poem on parshat Korach by Zohar Atkins
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