The Aleinu Prayer and the Pardes Story: Major Trends in Hekhalot Literature Research by Shlomo Brody

The prayer Aleinu, which plays a central role in the Rosh Hashana liturgy, first appears within the Hekhalot literature, a large corpus of mystical writings and experiences which emerged in late antiquity.  This literature, full of narratives of Sages ascending to the Heavens – including the famous Pardes story also found in the Talmud – [...]

New Tradition – 43:2, Featuring Debate Between Rabbis Eli Shulman and Michael Broyde on Women’s Hair Covering

Vol. 43, No. 2, Summer 2010

Editor’s Note: “He Thought She Was Drunk” by Shalom Carmy
Towards a Jewish Bioethic: The Case of Truth-Telling by Judah L. Goldberg
The Limits of Religious Optimism: The Hazon Ish and the Altar of Novardok on Bittahon by Daniel Stein
The Metaphysics of Property Interests in Jewish Law: An Analysis of [...]

From Our Archives: Writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook

Friday, August 13th (the 3rd of Elul) is the 75th yahrzeit of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, zt”l (1865-1935), a leading figure of religious Zionism.  In commemoration, we highlight several select essays from our archives that feature the writings, life, and legacy of Rav Kook. 
From the Pages of Tradition:  R. Abraham Isaac Ha-Kohen Kook:  Letter on Ahavat Yisrael by Shnayer [...]

Homosexuality and Halakha: In Tradition and Beyond

In light of the public discussion surrounding the recent Statement of Principles on homosexuality and Judaism, penned by one of our regular contributors, Text & Texture is making available some of the Tradition articles that have been written about homosexuality and halakha.  Additionally, we include below an essay by Rabbi Michael J. Broyde and Rabbi Shlomo [...]

From Our Archives: Idolatry – A Prohibition for Our Time

In light of the Sefer Devarim’s repeated condemantion of idolatry, please see our featured archive article,
“Idolatry: A Prohibition for our Time” by Herzl Hefter (42:1, 2009)
- Shlomo Brody

Books of Interest: Rambam

Moshe Halbertal’s Hebrew biography of the Rambam (Merkaz Zalman Shazar) is characteristically brilliant.  Although the first and longest chapter, nearly 70 pages, chronicles the Rambam’s life and his role as a communal leader, the book is primarily an intellectual biography, based on Rambam’s major works.  Each chapter is sharp and probing, providing thoughtful insights into the Rambam’s [...]

Against the Shulchan Aruch: The Critique of the Maharshal by Shlomo Brody

Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo caused a small tempest of controversy in a recent essay calling for greater autonomous religiosity.  Without commenting on his larger and more radical thesis, his citation of the Maharshal and his critique of the codification of halakha was noteworthy, as R’ Cardozo became the latest of a long string of historical figures who asserted that codification [...]

The Nahem Controversy: A Brief Summary by Shlomo Brody

Particularly since the Six-Day War, there has been an ongoing discussion within Israel regarding the propriety of stating the Nahem prayer during Mincha of Tisha Be’av.  Below I provide a brief summary, adapted from my Jerusalem Post Ask The Rabbi column, which, because of editorial complications, will only appear in the paper this coming Friday. 
Why [...]

From Our Archives: Rabbi Yehuda Amital zt”l

Last week, the Jewish community suffered the loss of Rabbi Yehuda Amital, zt”l, founding Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion and long-time leader within the religious Zionist community.  We hope to soon have a more in-depth appreciate of this great figure, but in the interim, we would like to highlight two of Rav Amital’s articles [...]

Books of Interest: Rav Soloveitchik Kinot and Other Books About Prayer

The hottest new publication in the Orthodox book world (I admit we’re not exactly talking about a NYTimes best seller, but nonetheless…) is clearly the Koren Mesorat Ha-Rav Kinot published by Koren and OU Press and edited by Rabbi Simon Posner.  It features a running commentary of the kinot based on the teachings of Rav [...]

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