More Than Just a Line in Our Prayers: Remembering the Exodus by Gidon Rothstein

In the context of my Mission of Orthodoxy project, I recently noted that Orthodox Jewish men are required to twice daily recall the Exodus from Egypt.  While Rambam does not count this as a separate mitzvah, he does include it as part of the structure of the Shema that obligates us morning and evening.[1]  We [...]

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 shaved at that [...]

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 of Purim.  [...]

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 section concludes [...]

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 all contemporize [...]

“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 many people [...]

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 the final [...]

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.  While [...]

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