Timely Thoughts

"Ha lahma anya" is one of the first paragraphs recited at the Seder - and its strange features have been baffling commentators for centuries. Elli Fischer adds his reflections to the mix.

Tzvi Sinensky argues compellingly for a new way to understand the relationship between Shir HaShirim and Pesach in times of quarantine.

In the spirit of Hanukkah, Yaakov Jaffe offers an intriguing thesis tying together a series of Mishnayot in the fourth chapter of Pirkei Avot: they are all responding to various aspects of Epicurean philosophy.

Noah Gradofsky explores sources about a pregnant Sotah and their relevance for Jewish abortion ethics.

Aryeh Solomon explores that lifelong influence of the Lubavitcher Rebbe on Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

Jerome Marcus on the Akeidah: It's not about ethics vs. divine command, but about Hashem versus Elokim!

Pressed for time, people often skip reciting the korbanot section of the morning prayers. With the High Holidays approaching, Judah Kerbel makes the case that the korbanot are far more central and halakhically significant to our prayers than we often realize.

Shimon Lerner uncovers a surprising but profound message that goes to the very heart of the Purim story.

Meira Wolkenfeld's reflection commemorating the passing of Yaakov Elman, ob"m.

Yom Kippur as a mother, explored by The Lehrhaus's Leslie Ginsparg Klein