The final verse of Lamentations is difficult to understand, and has been interpreted in various ways by Hazal which have distinct implications with regard to the theological meaning of Hurban. Aton M. Holzer explores the approaches and argues that the liturgy and customs of Tisha B’Av embrace one particular reading, one which sees excessive Divine rage as a manifestation of continued interest in and engagement with the Jewish people.

TRADITION’s Summer 2023 issue is on its way to subscribers. It features a special cluster of essays commemorating the Yom Kippur War in advance of the upcoming 50th anniversary; J. David Bleich on “Above-Ground Burial”; Michael Shmidman on Isadore Twersky’s contribution to study of The Guide of the Perplexed; David Berger reviews new and problematic scholarship on Christian-Jewish Relations after Vatican II; and more…

David Shatz offers an assessment of the significance of Mark Smilowitz’s recent essay, “The Lonely Man of Faith as Halakhic Philosophy” (Spring 2023), now open-access. Shatz says it aids our understanding of the surprising relationship between “Lonely Man” and “Halakhic Mind”—two works, written two decades apart, that initially appear distant, even contradictory, in both method and content.