The pen is more powerful than the sword, yet there is something more powerful than the pen: We live in talkee-talk world. We have talk radio, tv talk shows, news-talk and various other channels of people talking or communicating in…
Isaac: A biblical introvert
We know less about Isaac than any of the other patriarchs. In the major events of his life he is acted upon – being bound for the Akedah and having Jacob steal the birthright by fooling Isaac in old age.…
D’var theory: The ancient and contemporary polymath
It often seems like one’s academic major in higher education is a blood-bound oath, and America’s culture of specialized labor promotes that stoicism in kind. Judaism by contrast touts the polymath, a person of wide-ranging knowledge or skill, as the…
Taste of Torah: Two Approaches to Life
Looking for some productive procrastination? Check out Rabbi Dr. Tal Sessler’s piece on this past week’s parashah, Toldot.
Taste of Torah: Noah and Gilgamesh
By Rabbi Zvi Dershowitz Editor’s note: The following piece makes continuous reference to the “Epic of Gilgamesh”, an ancient Mesopotamian tale that some historians credit with inspiring the biblical story of Noah. Was it the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, from 2100…
Taste of Torah: Approaching divinity
Written by Jon Sadik, third-year psychobiology major and vice president of the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus When preparing to give the Torah to the Jewish people, G-d gives Moses a curious warning: “Set a boundary for the people roundabout…
Cheshvan: the Torah’s take on facing those dreaded Mondays
Talk about a disappointing ending. After a month of nonstop celebrating with little respite between the High Holidays and Sukkot, we have recently waved goodbye to the Hebrew month of Tishrei and jumped into Cheshvan, a month when we celebrate…absolutely…
Rabbinic Authorities Flex Muscles in Response to “Gay Orthodox Wedding”
Last week, over 100 Orthodox rabbis around the world added their signatures to a declaration condemning a recent event that the media identified as an “same-sex Orthodox wedding.” On November 6, Yeshiva University-ordained Rabbi Steven Greenberg, known to many as the…
Fear & Loathing in Washington Heights
The winds of scandal were blowing in full force across the Jewish world last week. An article printed in an online publication run by Yeshiva University students became the centre of controversy, and the school demanded that the article be removed.…
committed Jewish lesbian at spiritual crossroads
I stumbled upon this letter in the JQY (Jewish Queer Youth) online forum. I found it to encapsulate many of the challenges that Jewish queer individuals must face, and I think that understanding and empathizing with these experiences will truly…