January 21, 2025

Alt+SHIFT: R. Druckman’s Moderation

R. Haim Druckman’s “Be-Hayyil uve-Ru’ah” covers a wide range of military-related issues. The book is noteworthy because the author (one of the leading voices in Israeli Religious Zionism before his death in 2022) cannot be easily categorized as a hawk or dove. Yitzchak Blau returns for a supplemental entry in the Alt+SHIFT series.   
January 19, 2025

Vaxxers & Anti-Vaxxers

As we approach the five-year mark since the initial COVID lockdown, TRADITION has published Rav J. David Bleich’s essay on “Vaxxers and Anti-Vaxxers” in his “Survey of Recent Halakhic Literature” column (available open access for a limited time at TraditionOnline.org). 
January 16, 2025

Unpacking the Iggerot: Cheating, College & Culture

In 1980, R. Moshe Feinstein issued a harsh condemnation against cheating on the New York State Regents exam. While the question of cheating was immediately put to rest, what remained less clear was his general approach to secular studies. In this column, Moshe Kurtz explores R. Feinstein’s complicated opinions on college, medical study, and more.
January 14, 2025

REVIEW: Becoming a Redeemer

A new Hebrew book by Nahal Elgad Binyamin Shoham, “Becoming a Redeemer” (Har Bracha), delves into teachings of the Rebbes of Ruzhin, emphasizing the deep connection between Hasidism and Zionism. Yehuda Brandes reviews, asking what the message of those Rebbes nearly a century ago might mean for our own contemporary religious identity.