January 22, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at January 22, 2024
How many years were the Children of Israel in Egypt? With this week’s Torah reading about the Exodus, follow along as we do the math and consider Daniel Langer’s suggested solution to an age-old question in his recent TRADITION essay, “Solving the Chronological Problem of the Bondage in Egypt” (Summer 2022)—now open access.
January 18, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at January 18, 2024
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
Published by Tradition Online at January 15, 2024
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
Published by Tradition Online at January 11, 2024
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
Published by Tradition Online at January 8, 2024
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.
January 4, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at January 4, 2024
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
Published by Tradition Online at January 1, 2024
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
Published by Tradition Online at December 31, 2023
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
Published by Tradition Online at December 28, 2023
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.