The Jewish Thought Magazine of the Yeshiva University Student Body
The fourth Mishnah in the second chapter of Pirkei Avot teaches “al tifrosh min ha-tzibbur— do not separate from the community.” Community is an integral aspect of Jewish practice and we have mitzvot such...
In Parashat Vayechi, after Ya’akov’s death, the Torah spends numerous verses describing the narrative of the mourning process for Ya’akov as well as his funeral procession to Eretz Yisrael. Amongst what is a rather...
A well-known midrash[i] gives prayer the moniker “avodah she-be-leiv,” “service of the heart.” Tefillah thus takes on an intensely individual character. Unsurprisingly, the image of Hannah’s highly personal prayer dominates our heritage’s perspective on...
Of the lesser-known teachers of RIETS’ past, Rabbi Shimon Shkop (1860-1939) definitely ranks near the top of the list. That isn’t to say that Rabbi Shimon Shkop is less-known. Far from it, as a...
Of the Korahites. A Psalm. A Song. The Lord loves the gates of Zion His foundation on the holy mountains, More than all the dwelling of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you O...
I. A well-known Native American proverb states: “Never criticize a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.” This is straightforward advice, yet it can be notoriously difficult to implement. According to...
Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 present two parallel accounts of the creation of the world and, specifically, mankind. Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik addresses this issue in his seminal work, The Lonely Man of Faith,...
The[i] Mishnah in Masekhet Avot teaches about two types of Mahloket. It states, “Every dispute that is [for the sake of] heaven’s name, it is destined to endure. But if it is not [for the...
In the year 1920, a twelve-page pamphlet was written and distributed in pre-Israel Palestine called Kol Shofar.[i] It contained an extended criticism of and invective against Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, who was then the...
Considering the sheer antiquity of the Tanakh as we have it, coupled with the phenomenal amount of scholarly ink shed over the millennia in various analytical, homiletic and exegetical endeavours that comprise our magnificent...
