Shemot: The Book Without Names

Ben Greenfield calls attention to a crucial, but unnoticed feature of the early narratives in Exodus.

Song of the Sea: Making a Space for Joy and Sorrow

Zach Truboff draws on personal experience in considering the place of Yizkor on Yom Tov.

Frum and Free? Passover and Jewish Views on Liberty

Aton Holzer offers a novel re-reading of the Seder, arguing that it reflects and recreates four types of liberty that can be found in the Exodus narrative, as well as a fifth form of freedom.

Put a Mirror on Your Seder Table

Leah Sarna argues that this is the Passover to tell the stories of enslaved Jewish women: of the victims of October 7, who were and likely still are subjected to sexual violence, and of the heroic women in the era of the Exodus, who fought to ensure the perpetuation of the Jewish people.

When Shabbat first provided a Taste of the World to Come

Our modern Shabbat experience has been called "a taste of the world to come." But was this the case for the first Shabbat in the desert? Ezra Zuckerman Sivan considers the question.

Ki Ani Hashem: A Literary Analysis of the Makkot

Joshua Shapiro explains how close readers of the Biblical text can find a unifying theory for reason behind the ten plagues.

The Reward for Honoring Our Parents

Ezra Sivan challenges our understanding of the fifth commandment and all of Sefer Devarim.

Moses in the Teiva: An Act of Hope or Despair?

Was the teiva an attempt to save Moshe's life? David Fried challenges our assumptions about the purpose of the wicker basket in the river.

Manna as a “Detox Diet”: On Rav Mendel of Rymanov’s Segulah for Parnassah

Lehrhaus Founding and Consulting Editor Elli Fischer on why R. Mendel of Rimanov is said to have spoken about the man every Shabbat for 22 consecutive years, and why reciting parshat ha-man the Tuesday before Parshat Beshalah might not be a segulah for parnasa, but R. Mendel's exhortation to be content with our lot.

What Yitro Can Teach Us About Synagogue Leadership

Gidon Rothstein mines parashat Yitro for insight into best practices in synagogue governance.