January 18, 2024

TRADITION QUESTIONS: Yeshiva Week at War

An opportunity to both differentiate from general society while acculturating to its happy materialism, yeshiva day schools' mid-winter intercession symbolizes much about contemporary Orthodox Jewish culture in America. Focusing on the idea of leisure, Chaim Strauchler asks how Yeshiva Week will be different this year. How will the ongoing war in Israel change how American Jews experience this break?
January 15, 2024

PODCAST: Law and Philosophy in the Guide

TRADITION’s Summer 2023 issue, recently made fully open access, contained a fascinating offering penned by Michael A. Shmidman, our distinguished editor emeritus, titled “Isadore Twersky’s Unique Contribution to the Study of The Guide of the Perplexed”—a presentation and analysis of interlocking components of Rabbi Professor Isadore (Yitzhak) Twersky’s understanding of Maimonides’ formulation of the relationship between law and philosophy, particularly as expressed in the Moreh Nevukhim. In this podcast episode we share the recording of Shmidman’s lecture on which the essay is based, presented at a conference in memory of R. Twersky at Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies.
January 11, 2024

Alt+SHIFT: Ma At Mevakeshet?

Contemporary Western sexual ethics clashes sharply with traditional Jewish approaches leading many Orthodox authors to address this conflict. In a noteworthy new book, Oriya Mevorach adds a fresh approach—by finding fault with some traditional Jewish discourse about sexuality and at the same time offering a sharp critique of popular Western approaches. In Alt+SHIFT Yitzhak Blau shows how Mevorach’s helpful categories for mapping out the terrain of the discussion are themselves an important contribution to this discussion.
January 8, 2024

Jewish Youth, Israel, Then and Now

University student Mayah Bernstein utilizes a 1992 TRADITION Symposium reflecting upon the Six Day War to convey the difference of the Jewish-American college-aged response of 1967 with that of today. In the current conflict, a disturbing lack of religious mission prevents many youths from As today, we currently lack an overarching sense of religiosity to inform our opinions regarding Israeli sovereignty.