August 17, 2021

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Hetter Mekhira

One might claim that a discussion of the issues and controversies related to the heter mekhira, and the manner in which it is conducted, plays a special role in bringing that about. Revisit Daniel Z. Feldman’s survey of these issues as we await the imminent arrival of the Shemitta year 5782.
August 16, 2021

Rabbi Norman Lamm Memorial Volume

The Rabbi Norman Lamm Memorial Volume -- a special hardcover, book-length issue of TRADITION -- will arrive in a few weeks' time. Pre-order your copy now. The issue, edited by R. Jeffrey Saks, containing over 30 essays by leading figures in the world of Jewish life and ideas, focuses on the wide-ranging areas of Rabbi Lamm’s writing, assessing his lasting contributions to Jewish thought through the prism of his prolific works. View the Table of Contents and introduction.
August 12, 2021

The BEST: On Liberty

Samuel Lebens writes in The BEST: “John Stuart Mill’s moving and thorough defense of the freedom of speech, in which he describes the good that comes even from listening to false beliefs, can function as an important corrective to the peril of dogmatism.” 
August 9, 2021

New and Noteworthy Books

Our seasonal roundup of noteworthy new titles in Jewish studies and learning, with offerings on Biblical exegesis, the philosophy of R. Soloveitchik, practical tips for reading and davening well, and more.
August 5, 2021

The BEST: The Lion and the Unicorn

Nessa Liben writes on George Orwell’s vision for English society, “Exposure to alternative viewpoints does not make us less patriotic; it makes us more so. It reminds us to improve ourselves and our national collective identity, our patriotism.” This week in The BEST.
August 2, 2021

REVIEW: Tanakh of the Land of Israel: Samuel

Hayyim Angel reviews the second installment of “The Koren Tanakh of the Land of Israel” on the book of Samuel which “is written from an Orthodox perspective, utilizing contemporary scholarship as a tool for understanding God’s word.” Angel surveys the volume’s insights in the fields of linguistics, archeology, geography, and shows how these fields of wisdom enhance our understanding of Tanakh’s unique message."
July 29, 2021

The BEST: “I Have a Dream”

Writing for "The BEST" on MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, Zev Eleff suggests: Today, some Orthodox commentators take great pains to argue for the Jewish spark within Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln. This impulse reduces the force and meaning of both Jewish and American sources. Instead, we ought to take important texts and materials at fuller depth, appreciating them on their own terms. Like King’s “I Have a Dream,” our traditions—certainly the Jewish ones, but the best of the American canon, too—ought to stand on their own without the support of cultural and political alchemy.
July 26, 2021

The Sound of Sinai

To commemorate today's first yahrzeit of Rav Steinsaltz zt”l TRADITION republishes these tributes penned by Rabbi David Rozenson and Prof. David Berger. How did R. Steinsaltz, one of the most prolific and preeminent rabbis of our generation, come to play a key role in the revitalization of Soviet Jewry in Gorbachev's Russia? The true background to this part of his life, and his involvement in the astonishing Jewish renaissance behind the Iron Curtain, is little-known and has been under-reported.
July 25, 2021

REVIEW: Uncommon Wisdom – R. Steinsaltz’s Avot

In advance of R. Steinsaltz’s first yahrzeit, Marina Zilbergerts pays tribute to the great scholar and teacher by leading us through some of the insights in his recent commentary to Avot. Steinsaltz’s “wide-ranging glosses on the nature of wisdom, intellectual achievement, human relationships, virtue, and government, among other topics, show how Avot explores the problems faced by the individual as a moral agent in a world where knowledge is readily available but wisdom is hard to come by.”