On Nehama’s Yahrzeit, Thinking About Zeitgeists

What was on Nehama Leibowitz's bookshelf? Her authoritative biographer tells all, just in time for Nehama's 20th Yahrtzeit.

Lot’s Wife Was Never Salt (And Why That Highlights the Greatness of Abraham)

Mark Glass explores the implications of a little-known interpretation in which Lot's wife never turned to salt.

Four Reasons to Leverage Pop Culture in the Judaic Studies Classroom 

Can we learn Torah from Star Wars, superheroes, or the hit Netflix show ‘The Crown’? Olivia Friedman, a teacher at Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago, says yes, arguing that bringing pop culture into the Judaic studies classroom in a meaningful way not only makes learning more fun, but models the type of integration that Modern Orthodoxy stands for.

Kohelet: Seeking to Uncover and Bury

Shlomo Zuckier seeks and uncovers rabbinic-Biblical intertextuality.

The Source of Joseph’s Dreams 

Lazarre Simckes analyses Joseph’s dreams through the lens of trauma psychology.

Puritan Purim

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 the Shadow of God: The Mishkan’s “Constructive” Theology

Ranana Dine compares Christian and Jewish views on the value of having a beautiful Temple.

Korban Asham: The Sacrifice for Sacrilege (and other Sins)

Matt Lubin seeks to resolve the mystery of the korban asham.

Reeding Between the Lines: Parallels Across the Yam Suf and Baby Moshe Narratives

Ben Greenfield examines the curious parallels between the stories of Moshe in the ark and the splitting of the sea.

U-shemor Nafshekha: The Curious History of the (Supposed) Mitzvah to Maintain One’s Health

What does the Torah mean when it says to "guard your nefesh (soul)"? Lehrhaus editor David Fried reevaluates the common understanding of a Torah mandate for healthy living.