July 26, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 26, 2022
R. Jonathan Sacks was a frequent critic of the emergence of a post-truth culture and also a life-long opponent of moral relativism. Yet, in his book, “The Dignity of Difference,” he was an ardent proponent of a form of religious pluralism. When first published over 20 years ago his position was both attacked and misunderstood—giving rise to questions about how his Orthodoxy and his devotion to objective truth were able to sit alongside his advocacy for a form of religious pluralism. Sam Lebens and Erica Brown discuss these and related topics in the TRADITION Podcast.
July 24, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 24, 2022
Jews have had a long and storied relationship with the practice of medicine throughout history, of which little physical evidence remains. The medical diploma is one of few tangible representations of this history. As the diploma often contained Christian references, Jewish students would sometimes be permitted to make alterations to remove them. Yet adding any specifically Jewish reference to a medical diploma was simply unheard of—until now. Edward Reichman presents an overlooked 1647 medical diploma of a Florentine Jew and explores a creative example of Jewish physicians applying the lens of Torah to their medical training and practice.
July 21, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 21, 2022
Marina Zilbergerts writes for The BEST on Eviatar Banai’s song “Night as the Day Does Shine”: “Banai has found a way to synthesize elements of his previous self with the new, and to bridge conflicting worlds into musical inspiration. Speaking directly to the essence of our age, Banai’s music pulls the aspiration to holiness and transcendence directly from the banal ups and downs of human experience.”
July 19, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 19, 2022
TRADITION’s Summer 2022 issue arrives with a special section on Jewish Universalism. Also in this issue: The curious case of Prozbul's disappearance and reemergence; cannabis kashrut questions; R. Esriel Hildesheimer on women's Torah education; the relationship between fear and trust in Tanakh and classical commentaries; and book reviews.
July 17, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 17, 2022
As we begin our observance of the Three Weeks we turn our attention to an exploration of the spiritual, halakhic, and ecological dimensions of shemitta presented in Yedidya J. Sinclair’s thoughtful new translation of “Shabbat HaAretz” by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (Maggid Books). Ariel Evan Mayse suggests that the volume is an extremely timely contribution, given the perilous potential ecological calamities humanity faces.
July 14, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 14, 2022
Rivka Krause writes on poet Mary Oliver and her lesson to pause for gratitude: At times, the deepest understanding comes from appreciating the simple and often overlooked things around us. Our rituals aim to ingrain a thankfulness through awareness into the Jewish consciousness. The action of blessing food before eating should lead to thoughtfulness of where it comes from and why we eat it, but it so rarely does, because we do not pause and think.
July 11, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 11, 2022
Why did Hazal draw a comparison between Moshe and Bilam that appears to flatter a sworn enemy of Israel at the expense of our greatest prophet? Simi Peters explains…
July 7, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 7, 2022
TRADITION wraps up this year’s installment of our Editorial Board’s selections for recommended summer reading. Read the final round of endorsements – and discover the winner of our contest to predict the most picks!
July 3, 2022
Published by Tradition Online at July 3, 2022
TRADITION continues its yearly tradition of turning to our esteemed editorial board for endorsements for summer reading. Some of the picks could ae easily been predicted, others are quite surprising, all are worthy of your attention. Read the first of two installments today on TraditonOnline.