Focusing on Function: Women’s Leadership Roles by Nathaniel Helfgot

The following is an edited version of my initial remarks at a panel on Women’s Leadership Roles that was held on the first day of the RCA convention on Sunday, April 25, 2010. The panel consisted of Rabbi Michael Broyde, Rabbi Gidon Rothstein, Dr. Deena Zimmerman and myself. It was conceived and moderated by Rabbi [...]

The Pesach Hagada – The Wise Son Returns to the Questions by Yakov Nagen (Genack)

“The Torah speaks of four children: One is wise, one is wicked, one is simple and one does not know how to ask.”       -   The Haggada The four children represent four different types of personalities. Because life is dynamic, each person, during the course of his or her lifetime, often incorporates aspects of all four of these [...]

Abrabanel & The Menora: An Early Interpretation Supporting the Concept of Tora U’Madda by Yaakov Bieler

              The latter Tora portions of the book of Shemot, with the exception of Ki Tisa, focus upon the construction of the Tabernacle and the fabrication of the ritual clothing worn by the priests when they were performing the Temple service. Most commentators are hard-pressed to derive rigorously argued, logical spiritual instruction from this quantitatively [...]

Balancing the Necessity and Abhorrence of Violence: Of Terrorists and Amalek by Gidon Rothstein

Balancing the Necessity and Abhorrence of Violence: Of Terrorists and Amalek  Tu B’Shvat goes by, a holiday that continues to grow in popularity, especially as the environmental movement takes further hold (we hope), as we become more aware of our relationship with the earth.  With its passing, not to be seen again until next year, [...]

Possible Answers to Rav Soloveitchik’s 1936 Final Exam in Jewish Philosophy by Alex Sztuden

Below are responses to Rav Soloveitchik’s Jewish Philosophy exam that R. Helfgot posted on Text and Texture. I have tried to tie in the responses with the Rav’s own works, supporting R. Helfgot’s contention that the exam offers us a window into the mind of the Rav and the problems he was grappling with in [...]

The Self-Sacrifice of the Frogs: Halakha, Aggadata, and Martyrdom by Aryeh Klapper

תלמוד בבלי מסכת פסחים דף נג עמוד א –ב אמר רבי יוסי: תודוס איש רומי הנהיג את בני רומי לאכול גדיים מקולסין בלילי פסחים. שלחו לו: אלמלא תודוס אתה, גזרנו עליך נדוי, שאתה מאכיל את ישראל קדשים בחוץ. קדשים סלקא דעתך?! אלא אימא קרוב להאכיל את ישראל קדשים בחוץ. איבעיא להו: תודוס איש רומי גברא [...]

“It is Better for Man Not To Have Been Created”: Seven Years to the Terror Attack in Yeshivat Otniel

by Yakov Nagen  During the course of the Shabbos meal of Parshat Shemot 5763 in the Hesder Yeshiva of Otniel, while the students danced and sang הודו לה’ כי טוב כי לעולם חסדו, terrorists entered the kitchen and murdered the four boys who were preparing the next course: Noam Apter, Yehuda Bamberger, Gavriel Ho-ter, Zvika [...]

Italians, Romans, Germans and Edomites

By Yitzchak Grossman*   שִׁיר הַמַּעֲלוֹת, לְדָוִד: הִנֵּה מַה-טּוֹב, וּמַה-נָּעִים– שֶׁבֶת אַחִים גַּם-יָחַד.[1]  How good and how pleasant it is  that brothers dwell together.[2]  מַשָּׂא דְבַר-יְהוָה, אֶל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּיַד, מַלְאָכִי. אָהַבְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אָמַר יְהוָה, וַאֲמַרְתֶּם בַּמָּה אֲהַבְתָּנוּ; הֲלוֹא-אָח עֵשָׂו לְיַעֲקֹב נְאֻם-יְהוָה, וָאֹהַב אֶת-יַעֲקֹב. וְאֶת-עֵשָׂו, שָׂנֵאתִי; וָאָשִׂים אֶת-הָרָיו שְׁמָמָה, וְאֶת-נַחֲלָתוֹ לְתַנּוֹת מִדְבָּר. כִּי-תֹאמַר אֱדוֹם רֻשַּׁשְׁנוּ, וְנָשׁוּב וְנִבְנֶה [...]

The Angel’s Oath: The Relationship of Hazal to the Platonic Doctrine of Recollection by David Flatto

The Angel’s Oath:  The Relationship of Hazal to the Platonic Doctrine of Recollection by David C. Flatto Whereas balei mussar and machshava dramatize the great clash between Judaism and Hellenism (which serves as the background to the holiday of Hanukka), Jewish historians go to great lengths to demonstrate the degree to which Second Temple Judaism [...]

Praying for One to Die: Philosophical Considerations

Praying for One to Die: Philosophical Considerations by Ezra Schwartz There is a great deal of literature about treating a terminally ill patient.  However, the question most relevant for family members, namely how they should pray, remains mired in obscurity.  Although Ran in Nedarim 40a, basing himself of Ketubot 104a, teaches that one should pray [...]

« Previous Page — Next Page »