Rethinking Judaism in Early America
Did the Founding Fathers study Kabbalah? Yisroel Ben-Porat reviews Brian Ogren’s new book Kabbalah and the Founding of America.
What Do We Know About Moses’s Burial Place?
Ezra Zuckerman Sivan explains what it means when the Torah says that Moses's burial site was hidden.
When God Appeases Man: Yom Kippur in a Time of Exile
Yom Kippur marks the end of an 11 week period when thematic haftarot about the destruction of the Temple, consolation following its loss, and repentance replace haftarot connected to the weekly Torah reading. What can this grouping teach us about the nature of forgiveness and reconciliation? Hannah Abrams explains.
Can We Cancel Tishah Be-Av? The “Four Fasts” in Light of the Miracle of the...
Shimshon Nadel examines the question of whether we should continue to fast on Tishah Be-Av in light of the existence of the Modern State of Israel.
Joyful Planting: COVID and the Prohibition of Planting During the Three Weeks
Erica Brown considers the little-discussed prohibition on planting during the Nine Days and what it teaches about the nature of mourning and joy.
“Justice has not Been Done”: Officer Immunity and Accountability in Jewish Law (Part 2)
David Polsky meticulously explores officer immunity in Halakha and compares it with the American legal standard of qualified immunity.
Reflections on Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s Sixth Yahrtzeit
It has been six years since Rav Aharon Lichtenstein passed away. In reviewing a 2018 collection of essays by Rav Lichtenstein’s students, Alan Jotkowitz reflects on what we have lost and the void that remains.
Rabbi Sacks: From Anglo-Jewry to Chief Rabbi of the World
Drawing upon his expertise in Anglo-Jewish history, Benjamin Elton traces the intellectual journey and career of the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt"l. As a brilliant young scholar, Rabbi Sacks rose to prominence through the British Chief Rabbinate, but he transcended that role to become a global phenomenon.
Should the Davening of the Tenth of Tevet Take Sides in a Talmudic Debate?
Several reasons are given in our tradition about the reason for the fast on the Tenth of Tevet. The liturgy for the day takes a stand on what the true reasons are, but Yaakov Jaffe questions whether this stand is the right one.
Moses and Joseph’s bones
Sharing his Torah commentaries in English for the first time, Nissim Bellahsen of France examines the role of Moses in the atonement for Joseph's sale.
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