Hayyim Angel reviews an annotated translation of Rabbi Yaʿaqob Anatoli’s “Malmad HaTalmidim” (Da‘at Press), a key Provencal work at the heart of the Maimonidean Controversy. Through careful translation and extensive notes, the volume revives a medieval Geonic-Andalusian vision of an intense commitment to Torah enriched by philosophy, science, and disciplined intellectual inquiry.

As we begin reading the Book of Exodus our minds turn to the man Moses and his job as a prophet conveying God’s message with precision. Zvi Grumet considers how that role sometimes clashes with Moses’ position as a teacher par excellence. While Moses is identified as the greatest of prophets, the appellation ascribed to him in Rabbinic tradition is Rabbeinu, our teacher—how can these roles be reconciled?

Mark Wildes founded the Manhattan Jewish Experience as a Modern Orthodox kiruv organization. With his recent book, “The Jewish Experience” (Maggid Books) he seeks to share his approach with a new generation of rabbis and seekers. Does Wildes’ style of experiential outreach hold up after two decades? Steven Gotlib reviews the book in light of broader trends in outreach and religious apologetics.

Natan Slifkin’s “The Lions of Zion,” unlike many of his earlier writings, eschews internal Jewish polemics and aims to both show how the natural world of the Torah demonstrates the Jewish People’s connection to the Land of Israel and to refute attacks on Israel which use alleged Israeli “sins” against nature. Menachem Kellner calls it “highly engaging, often amusing, deeply interesting, and truly important.”

What does a movie about Christian apologist C.S. Lewis’ “conversion” to a life of faith have to teach believing Jews and those who struggle with belief? Apparently quite a lot says David Farkas in this film review.

Chaim Strauchler critiques a form of Jewish support for NYC’s mayor elect, describing it as a transactional model of Jewish politics prioritizing narrow communal gain over collective responsibility. He claims that such politics fragments Jewish advocacy, undermines democratic citizenship, and abandons Israel. Strauchler calls instead for a Zionist-inflected ethic of responsibility to the Jewish people and the American common good.