Editor’s Thoughts: Reflections of an Unrepentant Tanakh Enthusiast
R. Simeon b. Eleazar testified on the authority of R. Simeon b. Hanina: He who reads a verse at its proper time brings good to the world, as it is written, “And a word spoken...
Category: Issue 8.4: Tanakh in the 21st Century: Looking Back, Looking Ahead
Of Angels and Men: Peshat As A Universal Tool
In the opening pages of Family Redeemed, Rabbi Soloveitchik proclaims:[i] [ii] “I am sorry to say that many Jews don’t look to Bible for guidance and that its spiritual message, so indispensable for man today, is...
R. Zvi Dov Kanotopsky and the Kosher Switch
YU’s Thinkers of the Past: A Series A series of articles exploring the ideas and opinions of rabbis of YU’s past, especially as they pertain to the issue of the month. We have seen...
Sefirat HaOmer: Why Are We Counting?
On the second day of Pesah during the times of the Beit HaMikdash, a Kohen offered the Korban HaOmer, a sacrifice of ground barley, and the Jewish nation would subsequently begin the offering’s eponymous...
Tower of Babel: Lessons for Humanity
The story of the Tower of Babel has captivated the imagination of generations of scholars and commentators.[i] What is the purpose of this short biblical narrative, which relates the story of a people who came together...
Rabbeinu Tam Won’t Sign Off On Your Dusty Tanakh
I. At this point, it is somewhat of a truism to observe that a renaissance in Tanakh study is underway. One can hardly ignore the growth of interest in Tanakh-related Yemei Iyun, the resurgence...
God’s Three Keys and the Dialogue between Talmud and Tanakh
“Talmudic text that comments on some verses of Scripture calls in its turn for interpretation. Its intentions are not immediately apparent; its exposition can surprise a novice, and allows for several levels and dimensions...
Cross-Pollination as a Method of Biblical Interpretation: A Case Study
When we pick up a work of military theory or a history of war, we expect it to be written clearly, factually, and to-the-point. Metaphors, symbolism, and allegory belong to Du Fu, not to...
Toward Understanding Biblical Gapping: Genesis 38 as a Case Study
The 20th century literary critic Erich Auerbach (1892-1957) famously wrote that some biblical narratives and their characters are “fraught with background.”[1] While there are moments of action in these biblical stories, the thoughts of characters...
When Torah Comes to Life: Abarbanel and the Concept of Peshat
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began arguably the most important speech of his life, his controversial 2014 address to Capitol Hill with the following words. Tomorrow night, on the Jewish holiday of Purim, we’ll read...
(Where) Have All the Theologians Gone? Some Reflection on the Contemporary State of Orthodox Theology
Miriam Shaviv, in a review of Marc Shapiro’s “Limits of Orthodox Theology,” provocatively states that his book proves that, for the Jewish intellectual landscape, “the need is not only for theological discussions, but for...
