February 20, 2023
Published by Tradition Online at February 20, 2023
Zachary Truboff’s “Torah Goes Forth From Zion: Essays on the Thought of Rav Kook & Rav Shagar” presents complex material clearly and enjoyably. Todd Berman reviews and recommends that for those seeking an entry point to the works of Rav Kook and especially Rav Shagar, but unable to access them in their original texts, Truboff’s project is highly recommended.
February 16, 2023
Published by Jeffrey Saks at February 16, 2023
Rav Shach’s long impact on Israeli Haredism, and by extension on the political culture of the State, two decades after his passing is the subject of this week’s Alt+SHIFT. Yitzchak Blau considers how the hashkafa and halakhic stances of a person intersect in shaping personality and policy.
February 12, 2023
Published by Tradition Online at February 12, 2023
Prof. Marc B. Shapiro’s recent essay “From the Pages of TRADITION: R. Esriel Hildesheimer on Torah Study for Women” (TRADITION, Summer 2022), is the subject today's TRADITION Podcast. Shapiro joined Jeffrey Saks to discuss R. Hildesheimer’s legacy and that of 19th-century German Orthodoxy; the history of women’s Torah study; trends in Jewish education; and the intersections of Jewish history and thought.
February 9, 2023
Published by Jeffrey Saks at February 9, 2023
Natanel Ellinson’s portrait of divisions in Israeli society suggests a rift between Yehudim (Jews) and Yisraelim (Israelis), each with its own orientation, culture, and values. In this week’s Alt+SHIFT Yitzchak Blau admits some of the diagnosis is useful but overlooks subtleties that we dare not ignore.
February 6, 2023
Published by Jeffrey Saks at February 6, 2023
For close to two decades, the Polish-Jewish journalist and religious intellectual Hillel Zeitlin sought in vain to establish fraternal societies for the spiritual and ethical revival of the Jewish people. “On Select Redeemers,” his final manifesto from June 1939 is a stirring testimony to his resolute faith in the power of individual prayer to affect history. The document, which is presented here for the first time in English, is now open access to our readers appearing in an annotated translation by Jonatan Meir and Samuel Glauber-Zimra.
February 2, 2023
Published by Tradition Online at February 2, 2023
In this week’s Alt+SHIFT installment Yitzchak Blau profiles the columns and commentary of Eden Abitbol, whose writing opens a window into Haredi yeshiva life, its struggles and unique culture – both the manifest and suppressed components of how bachurim seek and maintain individuality within the yeshiva’s regimented collective atmosphere.
January 30, 2023
Published by Tradition Online at January 30, 2023
TRADITION 55:1 (Winter 2023) has begun to arrive in our readers’ mailboxes, and is available online with your login for subscribers. This issue of our journal of Orthodox Jewish thought features a number of items sure to dominate conversation this season with essays on the origin and impact of the Talmud page layout, Jewish responsibility to strengthen democratic society and norms, questions about above-ground burial, a bundle of important book reviews, and more.
January 29, 2023
Published by Jeffrey Saks at January 29, 2023
Today (January 29) marks the 120th birthday of Yeshayahu Leibowitz -- one of the most iconoclastic and controversial Jewish thinkers of the 20th century. Read works from the pages of TRADITION penned by Leibowitz and about him which remind us that he remains a compelling, original voice for those attempting to understand Jewish life, philosophy, and polity in Israel during the better part of the twentieth century.
January 26, 2023
Published by Jeffrey Saks at January 26, 2023
The mass of Israelis trekking to Uman for Rosh Hashana includes secularists, National Religious types, Sefardim, Haredim, and Hasidim of nearly every variety. In his interesting book, Dr. Moshe Weinstock analyzes this phenomenon and provides important insight to help understand how the pilgrimage is a reflection of trends in Israeli society. Yitzchak Blau poses questions about it in this week’s Alt+SHIFT.