The Pregnant Sotah: A Case Study in the Ethics of Abortion
Yisroel Ben-Porat grapples with whether the case of the pregnant Sotah has implications for the debates surrounding abortion.
From Storage Cities to the Tabernacle: Building a New Civilization
Daniel Berkove shows how parallels between the building of the Tabernacle and the building of Pharaoh's storage cities shed light on the differences between civilizations that those structures represent.
Of Split Wood and Waters
Nachum Krasnopolsky explains Rashbam's interpretation of the splitting of the sea as an educational experience.
Miriam’s Song and the Persistence of Music in Dark Times
Why did the women bring musical instruments out of Egypt? In her first Lehrhaus article, musicologist Rebecca Cypess draws a fascinating historical analogy between biblical and African-American slavery to shed light on the Exodus in Jewish tradition.
Sexual Assault: A Torah Analysis and Its Modern Implications
Rena Kosowsky compares the treatment of sexual assault in the Bible and the Talmud, and explores the implications of what that means for how we should address it today.
Letter to the Editor: Response to Ben Greenfield on the Forefathers’ Attributes
In his letter to the editor, Gershon Klapper draws upon three medieval sources that undermine Ben Greenfield's recent reading of the Zohar on the three attributes of the Avot.
Joseph and The Imagery of Clothing
Sam Borodach traces the role of clothing throughout the Joseph narrative.
Hesed, Gevurah, and Emet: Do These Attributes Actually Describe our Forefathers?
Ben Greenfield explains that the attributes commonly associated with our forefathers are not attributes at which they excelled, but rather attributes with which they struggled.
What Does God Want from Humanity? A New Perspective on the Creation Chapters
Yakov Nagen examines the opening chapters of Genesis to explore what God wanted from people for matan Torah.
Mirror, Mirror
Building on ideas from Jacques Lacan and Rabbeinu Bahya ibn Pakuda, Zach Truboff offers an innovative psychological reading of the Cain and Abel story.