Talmud
What Shavuot teaches about Israel’s haredi military service debate
On Shavuot, we recenter Torah study as our supreme value, even as we divert some of its precious human resources toward protecting our people and defending our land.
Once, Jews defended themselves to survive. Now this reflects defeat - opinion
Lag Ba’omer reminds us to choose respect over division among Jews - opinion
Parashat Emor: The social revolution
Tisha Be’av: Rebuilding in the aftermath of destruction
These nine days allow us to mindfully remember the forces that led to destruction from within our own nation, the thousands of years yearning to return, and finally, the power of rebuilding.
When Daf Yomi meets the headlines - comment
Both sides need to open up Tuesday’s Daf - Gittin 56 – and learn the lessons, and both sides need to do so immediately.
Marking the printed Talmud at 500 - opinion
Steinsaltz describes the Talmud as the repository of thousands of years of Jewish wisdom. Why shouldn’t it attract wider interest now that it is much more accessible?
Daf Yomi: Women study Talmud with Ra'anana rabbanit
Ten years ago, Michelle Farber started a daily Daf Yomi class in her home in Ra’anana. Her Daf Yomi podcast reaches more than 2,000 people worldwide.
Miracles are just the norm in Israel - opinion
Addressing a popular secular Israeli society that was skeptical of calling events miraculous, David Ben-Gurion said, “A Jew who does not believe in miracles is not a realist."
Judaism should bring the 'last confession' (vidui) back
The last confession (vidui), has somewhat disappeared in recent centuries. In this column, I’ll briefly lay out the case for restoring this meaningful ritual.
9 Adar: A call for constructive conflict among the Jewish people - opinion
The Beit Shammai-Beit Hillel confrontation must serve as a warning of what can go wrong when one group bulldozes legislation against the will of a major constituency.
Gila Fine: Teaching Talmud with a twist
Gila Fine’s interpretations of the Talmud are kind, inspiring, and relatable for modern women. Let’s hope the men are on board.
Silence is complicity: What is the right way to speak out? - opinion
Jewish tradition contains this idea as well, that shtika k’hoda’a – a person’s silence can be taken as acquiescence. This leaves us with the question, how do ensure that we are not silent?
Hanukkah: To pretend or to be really religious?
For religious Jews, Judaism’s constant demand to follow Halacha (Jewish law) may give the impression that Judaism depends solely on the need to “observe.”