Leviticus, Leonard Cohen, and the Paradox of Rest
Sarah Rindner asks what the Book of Leviticus, Leonard Cohen and the Liberty Bell all have in common.
Priests and Prejudice: Disability in Parashat Emor
Joshua Stadlan carefully explores the “blemishes” that invalidate a kohein for service in the Mishkan to argue that they were not an original part of God’s plan.
The Directional Shaking of the Lulav: Bible, Mysticism, and Religious Polemics
Yaakov Jaffe traces the origins and evolution of the custom to shake the lulav in different directions.
Of Divine Nostrils and the Primordial Altar: A Pipeline of Sanctity
What does the makeup of the altar drainage pipes tell us about the nature of holiness? Shlomo Zuckier explores!
Catastrophic Miracles and Miraculous Catastrophes: The Torah of Pregnancy in Tazria and Toldot
In her winning Ateret Zvi essay, Leah Sarna explores two simultaneously true stories about pregnancy: it is at once a beautiful, incredible miracle, and also a demanding journey, both physically and mentally, that often feels more like a catastrophe. Studying the Torah's accounts of pregnancy in Tazria and Rivkah's life, Sarna offers a moving analysis of what it means to hear, tell, and live these stories.
The Triple Threat to Social Order
Through the lens of social science and game theory, Ezra Zuckerman Sivan connects three stories in Tanakh of people who threatened the social order: the blasphemer, the wood-gatherer, and Achan.
The Non-Blaspheming “Blasphemer” and the Broader Ethic of the Episode
Mark Glass
I.
It is fair to say that Sefer Vayikra is not known for its narratives. It is devoted, for the most part, to the...
Summer Chaplaincy as Modern Priesthood; a Theological Reflection
Eliyahu Freedman compares hospital chaplains to the Kohanim.
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