December 14, 2023

TRADITION QUESTIONS: Hanukka Blues

What do the colors of Hannuka candles say about religious culture and crafty consumerism? Do our holidays need color palattes? How much of American Jewish life is tied to subconscious marketing trends? Chaim Strauchler speculates in a very special holiday installment of TRADITION Questions brought to you by Hallmark.
December 12, 2023

“Home” for the Holiday

Hannuka’s requirement of “ner ish u-beyto” makes the candle-lighting mitzva a house-bound one. Avraham Stav, writing from the Gaza border, asks how myriad Israeli soldiers dwelling in the field, and almost as many Israelis displaced from their homes, help us reevaluate and expand the meaning of “bayit” as we light our candles.
December 10, 2023

Hanukka and Hellenizers in Hazal

In this TRADITION classic from our archives: Prof. Gerald Blidstein z"l offers possible explanations for Hazal’s suppression of the Jewish Hellenizers in the Hanukka story. Neither the Talmud nor the holiday prayers make reference to them even though the Book of Macabbees portrays Jewish Hellenizers as central to the story. Blidstein offers several tentative explanations for this omission including the possibility that Hazal did not want us to celebrate a civil war.
December 7, 2023

Alt+SHIFT: Aviezer Ravitzky

How empty is the old “empty wagon” metaphor for the religious-secular status quo in Israel? If both sides of the debate understand the other is here to stay, what options are open for finding a middle ground—especially as Jewish learning and culture should be valued by both? How much diversity can and should tolerance tolerate? Until a tragic injury, Prof. Aviezer Ravitzky was among Israel’s most prominent public intellectuals—Yitzchak Blau surveys some of Ravitzky’s writings on these subjects in Alt+SHIFT.
Prev page
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675676677678679680681682683684
Next page