In Plain Sight: Jewish Masquerade from Clueless to the Rabbis
Why have stories of Jewish masquerade captured audiences since ancient times? In her latest, Malka Z. Simkovich explores the hidden meaning behind dressing up, from the Second Temple to '90s cinema.
A Philosophical Reflection on the Halakhification of Warfare
Alex Ozar explores wartime law in the Rambam.
Book Review: Haroset: A Taste of Jewish History by Susan Weingarten
Yakov Ellenbogen reviews Susan Weingarten's Haroset: A Taste of Jewish History.
Do Children Belong in Shul?
Moshe Kurtz explores halakhic and hashkafic considerations surrounding bringing young children to shul.
Letters to the Editor: Responses to Michael Broyde on Abortion
Two letters to the editor provide alternative perspectives on the question of what Jewish law wants American abortion law to be.
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.
Yaakov Elman and the History of Halakha
Shlomo Zuckier's reflection commemorating the passing of Yaakov Elman, ob"m.
Amalek and the War Against War
As we reflect on ever-present evil by reading Parashat Zakhor this Shabbat amidst the shocking human tragedy of the war in Ukraine, Zach Truboff brings to light a derasha by Rav Moshe Avigdor Amiel written a century ago that speaks to this very moment.
Mikra Bikkurim at the Seder: A View from Deuteronomy
Tzvi Sinensky suggests that we can best understand the Haggadah against the backdrop of Sefer Devarim.
Netivot Shalom: A Mixed Blessing?
Those of us who feel deeply connected and indebted to Hasidism should ask ourselves a difficult and perhaps painful question: Is Netivot Shalom the sefer that we want to represent us to the rest of Am Yisrael?
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