From Our Archives: Rav Ovadiah Yosef on the Status of Ethiopian Jews

One of the more influential psakim delivered by Rav Ovadiah Yosef zt”l related to the halakhic status of Ethiopian Jews, as discussed in an article in today’s Yediot Achronot. See here for Don Seeman’s article (Summer 1991) on this ruling in light of ethnographic research. On the status of Ethiopian Jewry in general, see this [...]

From Our Archives: Tradition Articles on Arms Sales and Halakha

J. David Bleich: Sale of Arms in Halakha Joseph Polak:  Arms Transfers, The State of Israel, and Halakha Sidney Hoenig:  The Sport of Hunting:  A Humane Game? All available for free download. – Shlomo Brody

Tradition 45:3 (Fall 2012) Now Available Online

Vol. 45, No. 3: Fall 2012 Editor’s Note: Why Hats Are Wasted On The Young: An Essay in Practical Theodicy by Shalom Carmy Yehuda Halevi and the Philosophical Use of Metaphor by Shubert Spero The Amida’s Biblical and Historical Roots: Some New Perspectives by Allen Friedman American Orthodoxy’s Lukeworm Embrace of the Hirschian Legacy 1850-1939 by [...]

Tradition 45:1 Available Online!

Dear Reader, We are pleased to announce that Tradition 45.1 is now available online.  Please visit TraditionOnline.org or click on the links below to directly access this issue. Sincerely, Shlomo Brody Online Editor, Tradition Vol. 45, No. 1: Spring 2012 Editor’s Note: The One Thing Money Can’t Buy by Shalom Carmy (Dialogue with Avi Woolf [...]

Parashat Bamidbar: “To be an Honorary Levite or Firstborn?” – That is the Question by Yaakov Bieler

“To Be an Honorary[1] Levite or a Firstborn?”—That is the Question! The Divine Plan to Set aside the firstborn of each Jewish family for Divine Service. Originally, God’s Design called for the firstborn of every family to serve in the capacity of Kohanim and Levi’im, performing the sacrificial services in first the Mishkan, and then [...]

Parashat Teruma: An Aggadic Example of “Mekalkel Al Menat LeTaken” by Yaakov Bieler

An Aggadic Example of “Mekalkel Al Menat LeTaken”  – Destroying in order to Repair (Mishna Shabbat 13:3)  Biblical terms referring to the Tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. The first holy artifact described in Parashat Teruma with respect to the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) is the Aron (Ark) in which, among other [...]

Parashat Mishpatim and Its Relationship to the Preceding Chapters by Yaakov Bieler

To what is the first verse in Mishpatim adjoined? The first verse of Parashat Mishpatim, Shemot 21:1, that follows practically immediately[1] after the listing of the Ten Commandments appearing in Parashat Yitro (20:2-14), is linked to the verses preceding it by the letter “Vav” at the beginning of the first word “Eileh” (these).[2] A “Vav” [...]

The Unknown Miracle of Chanukah by Jeffrey R. Woolf

A quick survey of the types of lectures, shiurim, articles, and various other discussions of Hanukkah that flood the internet reveals that they focus on two, eminently predictable, motifs: the victory of the Hasmoneans over the Seleucid Greeks and and the miracle of the little cruse of oil, bearing the seal of the High Priest, that lasted eight days [...]

Parashat Chaye Sara: A Young Girl Who Certainly Knows Her Mind by Yaakov Bieler

Finding a wife for Yitzchak. A major portion of Parashat Chaye Sara is dedicated to Eliezer’s quest to find a suitable wife for Yitzchak from among Avraham’s relatives. [1] I am particularly struck by the role that Rivka herself plays in this story with respect to deciding whether she would like to accompany Eliezer back [...]

Parashat Noach: A Paradigm Shift in the Understanding of Human Nature by Yaakov Bieler

The Divine Commitment never again to bring global devestation via a flood. Although Noach and his family are saved from the devastation of the Flood due to Noach’s virtuous attributes, as objectively attested to by the Tora[1] and then restated by HaShem Himself,[2] it would appear from Beraishit 8:21 that whether or not Noach’s descendents [...]

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