Today, 3 Elul (August 27) marks the 90th yahrzeit of Rav Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook zt”l. As one of the preeminent figures in Orthodox Jewish thought in the modern era, it is not surprising Rav Kook’s teachings have featured prominently as subjects of articles in the pages of TRADITION—sample them in our archive.

With the arrival of Rosh Hodesh Elul and the “back to school” (and yeshiva) season, Avraham Stav considers the things that pull us away from the benches of the beit midrash, and transformative experiences which help us return to the where we started and know the place for the first time.

Shlomo Zuckier’s recent Tradition essay traces the wide-ranging literary “afterlife” of R. Aharon Lichtenstein’s “Does Jewish Tradition Recognize an Ethic Independent of Halakha?” In a recent response Natan Levin engages Zuckier’s analysis through the lens of the famous debate between R. Lichtenstein and Reform theologian Eugene Borowitz.

Eli Rubin's “Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity” (Stanford University Press) presents a groundbreaking study of Chabad Hasidism. Through close readings of primary texts, historical analysis, and engagement with modern philosophy, Rubin, a scholar and Chabad insider, traces the historical evolution of the movement’s theology. Todd Berman shows that the result is an indispensable work for anyone wanting to better understand Chabad's intellectual and historical trajectory.

Outside the Orthodox Jewish world, discussion of the high cost of living focuses on housing costs, rather than on tuition. Yoni Appelbaum’s “Stuck” (Random House) discusses how the American housing shortage came to be, and its negative social consequences. Nathan Kasimer considers its applicability and impact on the economics of Orthodox Jewish communities.