Of Miketz, Menorahs, and Majesty

Of Miketz, Menorahs, and Majesty By Daniel Z. Feldman  Halakhic Inquiries Regarding Yosef’s Behavior The release of Yosef from prison, a moment of great drama and emotion, has also been the subject of halakhic inquiry. Some rishonim note, in light of the fact that his release took place on Rosh HaShanah[1], it is surprising that Yosef [...]

Rambam’s Hilchot Hanukka: A Masterpiece of Hashkafah Blended Into Halachah

Rambam’s Hilchot Hanukka: A Masterpiece of Hashkafah Blended Into Halachah By Gidon Rothstein * I have long been fascinated by the first chapter of Rambam’s presentation of the laws of Hanukka.  As a first oddity of the presentation, I note that Rambam folds the laws of Hanukka into one set of laws along with those [...]

From Our Archives: Hanukka @ Tradition Online

Prof. Gerald Blidstein – Hanukka in Hazal:  The Missing Players  (Tradition 35:3 – Fall ’01) Rabbi Leo Landman – Gambling in the Synagogue (10:1 – Summer ’68) Chanukah Sameach! – Shlomo Brody

When was the Mitzvah of Candle Lighting Declared? by Nathaniel Helfgot

When was the Mitzvah of Hadlakot Nerot Declared?  By Nathaniel Helfgot R. Isaac Judah Trunk of Kutno (1879-1939),1 in his work Hasdei Avot  #17,2 proffers  a fascinating theory  in relation to the genesis of the lighting of Chanukah candles. He begins by noting that in the famous Talmudic discussion about the origin of Chanukah the [...]

For the Sin of Hillul Hashem…

For the Sin of Hillul Hashem… by Erica Brown              Reflecting on Yom Kippur just days ago, it strikes me that the language of our al chet list can seem alien, foreign, stiff and archaic. We wonder what it means that we have removed a yoke from us or scoffed or hardened our hearts. We [...]

“So Long” vs “Thanks for All the Fish”: A New Reading of Sefer Yonah and Its Implications for Modern Orthodoxy

“So long” vs. “Thanks for all the fish”[1]: A New Reading of Sefer Yonah and Its Implications for Modern Orthodoxy By Aryeh Klapper              Imagine a man coming into Times Square looking and smelling like he’s spent considerable time inside a fish.  The man climbs onto a soapbox and declaims: “The end is nigh!”  How [...]

Land and Sea, Natural and Supernatural in the Book of Jonah

Land and Sea, Natural and Supernatural in the Book of Jonah by Daniel Reifman  Like many texts that have been incorporated into the liturgy, the book of Jonah seems inseparable from the time it is read in the synagogue: the afternoon of Yom Kippur. As the day draws to a close, our thoughts turn to [...]

Aseret Yemei Teshuva: Insights From an Early Biblical Paradigm

Aseret Yemei Teshuva: Insights from an Early Biblical Paradigm by David C. Flatto  Bridging the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Aseret Yemei Teshuva have an urgent and distinctive quality that is such a familiar aspect of the Jewish calendar.  Less known, however, is the earliest source for singling out these days.  [...]

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