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.
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.
Is a Modern Orthodox Humash Even Possible?
Jack Bieler continues the conversation about the need for and feasibility of a Modern Orthodox humash.
The Poetry of the Land
With masterful translation, Tzvi Novick offers a glimpse of Israeli culture to our English readers.
From Master to Father: The Evolving Character of God in the Creation Narrative
Gavriel Lakser argues that the first two chapter of Genesis give us different insights into the character of God. The first chapter shows us a transcendent and omnipotent God, while the second shows us a God much more imminent and concerned for the lives of the creation. These two aspects are complimentary and mutually deepens our understanding of the human-God relationship.
Understanding the Will of God in Psalm 132
In this essay, William Goloboy elucidates Psalm 132 and the Divine choice to prohibit King David from building the First Temple.
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.
Military Might as Reluctant Religious Virtue: The Bizarre Inclusion of Genesis 14 in Tanakh
Abraham’s participation in the war of the four kings against the five fits uncomfortably in the broader narrative of his life. Rabbi Mark Glass argues that this Abrahamic episode articulates a core Torah perspective on military might.
Reclaiming Shepherd Leadership — For Our Leaders, For Ourselves
Drawing upon the teachings of the Piaseczner Rebbe, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, and others, Yiscah Smith proposes a model for reimagining contemporary Jewish leadership on both the communal and personal levels.
Aleinu and Genesis: Against the Twin Idolatries of Universalism & Ethnonationalism
Does the Torah support a universalist or ethnonationalist political orientation? In this timely essay, Ezra Zuckerman Sivan explores the meaning behind key stories in Genesis through the framework of the Aleinu prayer.
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