It is impossible to ignore an obvious fact: The outsized statistical prominence of Religious Zionists soldiers among the fallen of this war. A high casualty rate is not a pleasant flag to wave, but does serve one public importance: To defy the wicked, long-standing campaign that seeks to present Religious Zionism as a messianic, fascist, racist sector. And yet, writes Israeli columnist Yair Sheleg, it should cause us to reembrace our triple identity, which includes the religious, national, and universal-liberal components.

Dovid’l Weinberg’s “Birth of the Spoken World” is a book of great depth and breadth which advances an important thesis about the significance of prayer for our day. In reviewing the volume Yitzhak Blau suggests that anyone interested in understanding the balance between Torah learning and prayer, or in experiencing a neo-hasidic model that also sees beyond Hasidism will benefit.

On Simhat Torah, we set out on two journeys: our planned-for journey through the weekly Torah reading, and a harrowing voyage down the path of loss and war. The second trek challenges us daily, while the first helped Rachel Sharansky Danziger through each challenge posed along the way. As the two looped into each other, they changed her understanding of them both.

You are no doubt inundated with end-of-year donation requests for worthy causes. Please accept this update not as an appeal for your support but as a year-end inventory of what TRADITION has contributed to you, our readers. This year our Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought undertook important new ventures, made new achievements, and delivered engaging and enlightening scholarship in the four installments of Volume #55. Our editor Jeffrey Saks reviews 2023’s highlights here….