Tanakh

Tzvi Sinensky suggests that we can best understand the Haggadah against the backdrop of Sefer Devarim.

Shimon Lerner uncovers a surprising but profound message that goes to the very heart of the Purim story.

What was the covenant of peace God gave Pinchas? R. Shlomo Zuckier puts the pieces together to find out

Ezra Sivan asks what light the narratives of Shabbat and the scouts shed on some critical social questions.

AJ Berkovitz offers a charitable perspective on American politicians' apparent errors in citing the Bible.

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.

Isaac occupies the middle position among the three Patriarchs. Gavriel Lakser offers a novel reading of his character that portrays Isaac as a uniquely relatable figure for our times.

How did Esther shape the way Puritans saw the ideal role of the contemporary woman? Cotton Mather, a major player in the Salem Witch Trials, had much to say in his Ornaments for the Daughters of Zion. Stuart Halpern of Yeshiva University explains, wishing us all a Puritan Purim.

In his review of Michael Hattin’s commentaries on the books of Joshua and Judges, Francis Nataf explores how greater collaboration between creative Tanakh teachers could help reduce the number of overly speculative readings.

David Curwin explores the evidence that Jacob may have made a fatal mistake in not conquering Canaan upon returning.