Daily Podcasts Video Research
Lehrhaus Mind Blown: Shofar as Divine Encounter Beyond the Limits of Human Comprehension 21 Sep 2022
The sounding of the shofar in Jewish tradition is a perplexing practice with no given meaning in the Torah. The Talmud explores the unknowability of the mind...
21 Sep 2022
Lehrhaus Ezrat Nashim: Notes on Halakhic Womanhood 18 Sep 2022
In "Ezrat Nashim: Notes on Halakhic Womanhood," the author explores various aspects of Jewish womanhood and their experiences within Jewish rituals. The poet...
18 Sep 2022
Lehrhaus Hendiadys in the Pre-Shofar Acrostic Prayer: An Introduction to an Overlooked Principle of Biblical Interpretation 14 Sep 2022
In this article, the author discusses the concept of hendialys in pre-Shofar acrostic prayer. The focus is on a particular verse in the prayer, Eikhah 3:56, ...
14 Sep 2022
Lehrhaus Letters to the Editor: Responses to Michael Broyde on Time-bound Commandments 7 Sep 2022
In this Letters to the Editor piece, Leah Sarna responds to Rabbi Michael Broyde's article on time-bound positive commandments. Sarna points out that women T...
7 Sep 2022
Lehrhaus What Does Pursuing Tzedek Actually Entail? 1 Sep 2022
The article explores the meaning of the verse "tzedek tzedek tirdof" (justice, justice shall you pursue) from Parshat Shoftim in the Torah. The rabbis in the...
1 Sep 2022
Lehrhaus The Children’s Book About R. Aharon Lichtenstein That Belongs on Your Summer Reading List 25 Aug 2022
"The Children's Book About R. Aharon Lichtenstein" is a beautifully illustrated children's book that tells the inspiring story of R. Aharon Lichtenstein, a b...
25 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus Why Are Women Obligated in Some Time-Bound Positive Commandments and Exempt from Others? A New Theory 21 Aug 2022
In this article, Michael J. Broyde explores the question of why women are exempt from certain time-bound positive commandments (TBPCs) in Jewish law while be...
21 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus Why Are Women Obligated in Some Time-Bound Positive Commandments and Exempt from Others? A New Theory 21 Aug 2022
This article examines the question of why women are obligated to observe certain time-bound positive commandments (TBPCs) in Jewish law while being exempt fr...
21 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus Inconsistencies in the Torah: Shamor vs. Zakhor 18 Aug 2022
The article discusses the inconsistencies between the commandment to remember the Sabbath in Exodus and the commandment to guard the Sabbath in Deuteronomy. ...
18 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus A Return to Moderation: Rabbi Lamm’s Passionate Plea for Civility 11 Aug 2022
Rabbi Norman Lamm, known for his commitment to Torah u-Madda, also emphasized the importance of passionate moderation throughout his career. He believed that...
11 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus Letter to the Editor: Response to Leead Staller on Euthanasia 9 Aug 2022
The letter responds to a previous article by Rabbi Leead Staller on Halakhah and euthanasia. The author critiques Staller for discussing the topic in abstrac...
9 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus “I Would Soar to the Sphere of Heaven”: Aleph and “I” in a Tishah be-Av Lament 4 Aug 2022
The author discusses the structure and features of the book of Lamentations, which is focused on the destruction of the Jewish temple. The acrostic nature of...
4 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus “For These Things I Weep”: Psychological Readings of Lamentations 4 Aug 2022
The book of Lamentations is a complex text with theological and textual inconsistencies, making it difficult to understand. Scholars have approached it from ...
4 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus Eliezer Melamed, Unpredictable and Non-Tribal Posek: The Case of Women’s Roles 3 Aug 2022
Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, author of the Peninei Halakha series, has faced criticism from some rabbinic circles in recent months. Several letters have been writt...
3 Aug 2022
Lehrhaus Two Decades of Learning with Professor Halivni 29 Jul 2022
Professor David Weiss Halivni was known for his extensive theorization of the role of anonymous editors of the Babylonian Talmud, and his critical commentary...
29 Jul 2022
Lehrhaus A Rosh Yeshiva in an Ivy League University 29 Jul 2022
In this piece, the author reflects on their experience as a teaching assistant for Professor David Weiss Halivni at Columbia University. They describe how Ha...
29 Jul 2022
Lehrhaus The Maculate Conception: Introducing a Symposium on Rabbi Prof. David Weiss Halivni 29 Jul 2022
Rabbi Professor David Weiss Halivni, a prominent Talmudic scholar, is honored in this symposium. His disciples and proteges contribute to the discussion, wit...
29 Jul 2022
Lehrhaus Michael Broyde Responds Regarding Abortion, Halakhah, and Secular Law 25 Jul 2022
In this response, Michael Broyde discusses the view of Rabbi Moses Feinstein on abortion and secular law. Broyde argues that while Rabbi Feinstein considers ...
25 Jul 2022
Lehrhaus Hippocratic Healthcare and Christian Absolutism: Can Halakhah Allow for Compassionate Euthanasia? 21 Jul 2022
This article explores the question of whether Halakhah (Jewish law) allows for compassionate euthanasia. It discusses the prevailing view in the halakhic com...
21 Jul 2022
Lehrhaus Letters to the Editor: Responses to Michael Broyde on Abortion 14 Jul 2022
The letters to the editor discuss the views of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein and Rabbi Michael Broyde on the topic of abortion in Jewish law. Rabbi Broyde argues tha...
14 Jul 2022
Lehrhaus A “What If” Review: Hypothetical History, Science, and Halakhah 5 Jul 2022
The article discusses the concept of hypothetical scenarios and their exploration in different genres, namely history, science, and halakhah (Jewish law). It...
5 Jul 2022
Lehrhaus What Does Jewish Law Think American Abortion Law Ought To Be? 28 Jun 2022
The author explores the question of what Jewish law would say about American abortion law. He argues that Jewish law does not obligate Jews to encourage non-...
28 Jun 2022
Lehrhaus What Does Jewish Law Think American Abortion Law Ought To Be? 28 Jun 2022
The article discusses the question of what Jewish Law thinks the abortion law in the United States should be. The author presents four basic ideas: 1) Jews h...
28 Jun 2022
Lehrhaus (How) Can we Know Orthodox Judaism is True? 21 Jun 2022
The book review discusses the question of how we can know if Orthodox Judaism is true. It explores the debate between Leo Strauss and Spinoza regarding the a...
21 Jun 2022
Lehrhaus (IN)VISIBILITY: Is it good for Jews to be invisible? 20 Jun 2022
This article discusses the theme of invisibility in Jason Mott's novel, "Hell of a Book," and explores its metaphorical implications for Jews and Black peopl...
20 Jun 2022
Lehrhaus Star-Spangled Synagogue: Do National Flags Belong in Our Houses of Worship? 14 Jun 2022
The article explores the question of whether national flags belong in synagogues. The author examines different perspectives on the matter and provides argum...
14 Jun 2022
Lehrhaus Was the Sotah Meant to be Innocent? 9 Jun 2022
The Sotah ritual in Numbers 5:11-31 has been viewed as a trial by ordeal, but three Jewish interpreters, R. Herbert Chanan Brichto, R. Emanuel Rackman, and R...
9 Jun 2022
Lehrhaus Was the Sotah Meant to be Innocent? 9 Jun 2022
The Sotah ritual in Numbers 5:11-31 has long been seen as trial by ordeal, where a woman accused of infidelity is made to drink a concoction. However, modern...
9 Jun 2022
Lehrhaus Duplicity at Sinai 2 Jun 2022
The Tosefta presents an alternative interpretation of the revelation at Mount Sinai, suggesting that the Israelites' declaration of naaseh ve-nishma (we will...
2 Jun 2022
Lehrhaus That Which Is Beyond Your Gates 31 May 2022
In this fictional story, a synagogue mysteriously begins to expand, with the building seemingly consuming the parking lot and growing in size. The members of...
31 May 2022
Lehrhaus The Four R’s: An Orthodox Educational Framework for Engaging with Biblical Criticism 22 May 2022
The text discusses the challenges faced by Modern Orthodox students in reconciling traditional accounts of biblical events with the methodologies and finding...
22 May 2022
Lehrhaus Daniel Deronda and Fate and Destiny: Reflections on Zionism and Feminism 16 May 2022
The article explores the connections between George Eliot's novel Daniel Deronda and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik's essay Fate and Destiny. Both works argue ...
16 May 2022
Lehrhaus Priests and Prejudice: Disability in Parashat Emor 12 May 2022
In Parashat Emor, God restricts descendants of Aaron with physical disabilities from serving as priests in the Temple. Some argue that these disqualification...
12 May 2022
Lehrhaus Subjective Experience in Halakhah: Music During Sefirah as a Case Study 9 May 2022
The article discusses the challenge of feeling a genuine sense of mourning during the periods of Sefirat HaOmer and Bein Hamitzarim. While there are specific...
9 May 2022
Lehrhaus Renew Our Days as Days of Old 5 May 2022
The author shares a personal story about visiting an elderly cousin who was a rabbi, a Holocaust survivor, and a Satmar Hasid. The visit, which was meant to ...
5 May 2022
Lehrhaus A Prehistory of Rav Kook 2 May 2022
In "A Prehistory of Rav Kook", Yehudah Mirsky explores the writings of Rabbi Abraham Isaac ha-Kohen Kook before he immigrated to Israel and challenges the co...
2 May 2022
Lehrhaus Theologically Speaking: God, Language, and the Maggid of Mezritsh 25 Apr 2022
In the book Speaking Infinities: God and Language in the Teachings of Rabbi Dov Ber of Mezritsh, author Ariel Evan Mayse explores the unique vision of langua...
25 Apr 2022
Lehrhaus Frum and Free? Passover and Jewish Views on Liberty 12 Apr 2022
This article explores the concept of freedom and its different meanings in Judaism, particularly within the context of Passover. It highlights that Hebrew ha...
12 Apr 2022
Lehrhaus Imagining Passover 12 Apr 2022
This poem titled "Imagining Passover" reflects on the rituals and symbolism of the Passover holiday. The author emphasizes the connection between the present...
12 Apr 2022
Lehrhaus Letters to the Editor: Does Torah u-Madda Answer Today’s Questions? 7 Apr 2022
The debate surrounding Torah u-Madda, the idea that Torah and secular studies can enhance each other, is the topic of a symposium presented by Lehrhaus. The ...
7 Apr 2022
Lehrhaus The Dark Side of Torah u-Madda: Chaim Potok and Core-to-Core Cultural Confrontation 6 Apr 2022
In this text, the author discusses the concept of Torah u-Madda (the combination of Torah and secular studies) in the Modern Orthodox community. The author f...
6 Apr 2022
Lehrhaus Truth in Fiction: Pursuing Torah in Secular Spaces 5 Apr 2022
This symposium explores the concept of Torah u-Madda: the belief that Torah and secular studies can complement and enrich each other. The author, an English ...
5 Apr 2022
Lehrhaus Sanctifying the Secular: A Torah u-Madda Approach to Popular Culture 4 Apr 2022
The symposium titled "Sanctifying the Secular: A Torah u-Madda Approach to Popular Culture" explores the concept of Torah u-Madda in the Modern Orthodox comm...
4 Apr 2022
Lehrhaus Letters to the Editor: The Boundaries of Torah u-Madda 4 Apr 2022
This symposium on Torah u-Madda explores the challenges and evolving definition of the integration of Torah and secular studies in the Modern Orthodox commun...
4 Apr 2022
Lehrhaus It Will Be Torah and I Am Compelled to Study It: A Philosophy of Madda as Hiddushei Torah? 31 Mar 2022
The article discusses the concept of Torah u-Madda, the idea that Torah and secular studies can enrich each other. The symposium explores how Torah u-Madda h...
31 Mar 2022
Lehrhaus Torah u-Madda or Torah u-Movies? 30 Mar 2022
The concept of Torah u-Madda, the integration of Torah and secular studies, has been discussed in the Modern Orthodox community for many years. However, ther...
30 Mar 2022
Lehrhaus Bringing Back Torah u-Madda 29 Mar 2022
The notion of Torah u-Madda, the idea that Torah and secular studies can enrich each other, has been a central concept in Modern Orthodox Judaism. However, s...
29 Mar 2022
Lehrhaus The Utilitarian Case for Torah u-Madda 29 Mar 2022
The symposium explores the concept of Torah u-Madda, the integration of Torah and secular studies, which some claim is in decline. The significance of Torah ...
29 Mar 2022
Lehrhaus Serpentine Psychology and Booming Babel 28 Mar 2022
This text discusses the concept of Torah u-Madda (integration of Torah and secular studies) in the Modern Orthodox community. It addresses the challenges fac...
28 Mar 2022
Lehrhaus Torah u-Madda for All? 28 Mar 2022
This article explores the concept of Torah u-Madda, the integration of Torah and secular studies, and the challenges it faces in the Modern Orthodox communit...
28 Mar 2022