Of Split Wood and Waters

Nachum Krasnopolsky explains Rashbam's interpretation of the splitting of the sea as an educational experience.

No Milk, No Trust

Beth Kissileff explains how Moses' complaint about not being the Israelite's nursemaid shows how he is unfit for leadership.

Rupture and Revelation

Ayelet Wenger weaves together the personal, historical and exegetical in advance of reading Sefer Shemot.

Abraham’s “Diminished” Weeping: An Orthographic Note Inspired by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Zt”l

There’s a miniature kaf at the beginning of the parashah. As Gabriel Slamovits explains, what the diminished letter says about how Abraham mourned for Sarah fits well with a prominent teaching of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, zt”l.

Letter to the Editor: Response to Ben Greenfield on the Forefathers’ Attributes

In his letter to the editor, Gershon Klapper draws upon three medieval sources that undermine Ben Greenfield's recent reading of the Zohar on the three attributes of the Avot.

Military Might as Reluctant Religious Virtue: The Bizarre Inclusion of Genesis 14 in Tanakh

Abraham’s participation in the war of the four kings against the five fits uncomfortably in the broader narrative of his life. Rabbi Mark Glass argues that this Abrahamic episode articulates a core Torah perspective on military might.

Summer Chaplaincy as Modern Priesthood; a Theological Reflection

Eliyahu Freedman compares hospital chaplains to the Kohanim.

In Six Barleys were Wrapped an Enduring Legacy

Ezra Zuckerman Sivan examines the significance of the six barleys that Boaz gives Ruth in light of the story of Rachel, Leah, and the duda'im.

Inconsistencies in the Torah: Shamor vs. Zakhor

Gavriel Lakser explains how the change from Zakhor to Shamor is one of the earliest examples of Oral Torah.
binding of isaac

Some Thoughts on the Binding of Isaac

Jerome Marcus on the Akeidah: It's not about ethics vs. divine command, but about Hashem versus Elokim!