January 4, 2024

TRADITION QUESTIONS: Naming the Monster

Israel very deliberately chooses names for its wars. As we prepare for the parsha of names and ancient hatred, Chaim Strauchler asks why we don’t similarly name the forms that antisemitism takes. A single name would ease communication, allowing us to better express what the “monster” is and how it might be fought. Reviewing three candidates for today’s legitimization of explicit Jew-hatred, Strauchler finds advantages and disadvantages for each sword by which the monster might be slain.
January 1, 2024

20 Tevet: Maimonides’ 819th Yahrzeit

Today, 20 Tevet, is the 819th Yahrzeit of the “Great Eagle” Maimonides. That amount of time may surprise those of us for whom Rambam is a daily, living companion. To mark the occasion we release open-access Michael A. Shmidman’s recent essay, “Isadore Twersky’s Unique Contribution to The Guide of the Perplexed” (TRADITION, Summer 2023).
December 31, 2023

Religious Zionism’s Triple Mission

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.
December 28, 2023

REVIEW: Birth of the Spoken Word

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.