We are surrounded by irritants and triggers that fracture our attention; along with information overload, we are overwhelmed with pings, lights, and other technological spears that goad us to pay them mind. This is a serious challenge for the life of the spirit, which demands focus and kavvana. A new book about Christian monks in late Antiquity and medieval times argues that these hermits and seekers were obsessed with the issue of distraction. Ariel Evan Mayse demands we pay attention, to this new book, “The Wandering Mind,” and helps us focus on parallel teachings in our own tradition, from Hasidism and mysticism, that may help our minds wonder more and wander less. 

Akiva Sternberg has amassed a collection of halakhic responsa documenting the challenges to religious life in 19th and early 20th century America. In reviewing the Hebrew volume, Menachem Keren-Kratz calls it “an important book to any scholar interested in the history of halakha, and particularly to scholars interested in the history of Orthodox Judaism in America.”

TRADITION’s seasonal roundup of noteworthy new titles in Jewish studies and learning, with offerings on religion vs. reason, classic rabbinic texts in new translations, old age in Medieval times and halakha in modern Israel, various posthumous volumes from our community’s leading rabbis and scholars, and more.