Must Creativity and Rigor be Either/Or?
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.
God Is Other People
In a chapter adapted from his new book, Be, Become, Bless: Jewish Spirituality between East and West, Yaakov Nagen suggests based on the Zohar that the world endures when we see Godliness in another person's face.
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.
The Reward for Honoring Our Parents
Ezra Sivan challenges our understanding of the fifth commandment and all of Sefer Devarim.
The Torah’s Song
What is the meaning of a biblical song? Writing for Parshat Ha'azinu and in memory of her beloved cousin, Shira Shaindel Rodman (née Brilliant) z”l, Elana Stein Hain reviews Geula Twersky's theory of biblical poetry as portrayed in her 2022 book Torah Song.
The Nazir and the Priest
Yoni Nouriel examines an episode in the Talmud where Shimon Ha-Tzadik describes his encounter with an impure Nazir.
“Our Eyes”: The Kenites and the Druze
Tamar Weissman shows how the Druze minority in Israel remarkably resemble the biblical Kenites.
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.
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.
The Problem of Mosaic Authorship You Never Heard of: What is Parashat Bilam?
The Talmud speaks of a mysterious passage on Bilam authored by Moses. What is it?
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