Philosophy and Exegesis: Which Leads? A Review of Aaron Koller’s Unbinding Isaac
Zvi Grumet reviews Aaron Koller’s new book on the Akedah and evaluates his surprisingly novel approach to this formative biblical story.
Love (and Trust) Conquer All: Another Angle on the Akeidah
Alex Ozar drills down on the point of the Akeidah, responding to Herzl Hefter and Tzvi Sinensky.
Mirror, Mirror
Building on ideas from Jacques Lacan and Rabbeinu Bahya ibn Pakuda, Zach Truboff offers an innovative psychological reading of the Cain and Abel story.
Why Doesn’t Abraham Get to Enjoy the Weekend?
Ezra Sivan compares biblical covenants, the all-important circumcision of
Abraham and Shabbat
What Does God Want from Humanity? A New Perspective on the Creation Chapters
Yakov Nagen examines the opening chapters of Genesis to explore what God wanted from people for matan Torah.
Moses and Joseph’s bones
Sharing his Torah commentaries in English for the first time, Nissim Bellahsen of France examines the role of Moses in the atonement for Joseph's sale.
Rabbinic Creativity and the Waters that would Consume the World
Levi Morrow explores how the Rabbis use creative exegesis to save the world
from drowning in a flood
Shechem, Place Of Brit
This week's Parashah introduces us to the city of Shechem. Tamar Weissman examines the various appearances of this city throughout Tanakh, explaining that while it is a city of rupture, it is also one of covenant and fraternity.
Hevel: The Journey of an Intangible Word
Benjamin Barer traces the word Hevel through Jewish texts, showing how the use of the same word can teach us both about the wisdom of Kohelet we read this past Shabbat and the character of Hevel who we will read about in this week's Parashah.
Rabbeinu Bahya and the Case of the Mysterious Medieval Lightning Rod
Did Rabbeinu Bahya mention a lightning rod centuries before it was discovered? Yaakov Taubes takes us on a journey through science, magic, and religion to help explain this medieval commentator’s cryptic comment about the Tower of Babel.