November 21, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at November 21, 2024
To commemorate Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks’ fourth Yahrzeit, TRADITION turns its questioning gaze inward. Last year was the 50th anniversary of R. Sacks’ first major publication, “Alienation and Faith.” The essay probed a core assumption of R. Soloveitchik’s “Lonely Man of Faith”—the Jew is fated to an existence that is divided, alienated, and lonely. At the young age of 25, R. Sacks disagreed. Chaim Strauchler examines the article’s publication and reception.
November 20, 2024
Published by Jeffrey Saks at November 20, 2024
As the Jewish world prepares to mark the 4th yahrzeit of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt"l tomorrow, 20 Marheshvan (Thursday, November 21) we republish Dr. David Shatz's insightful testimonial to the impact of R. Sacks as an original Orthodox thinker. During those dark days of Covid when we lost R. Sacks' important voice, TRADITION offered a variety of content memorializing him and exploring his teachings. See the links appended to this post to review those items, and visit the Rabbi Sacks Legacy site to participate in the Global Day of Learning.
November 17, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at November 17, 2024
If we don’t knee-jerk our way through life, we can find ourselves without a clear and obvious ideological home. Gil Student’s “Articles of Faith” (Kodesh Press) reminds us we are not alone, shows examples of how to think through thorny issues of our day, and beckons us to remember truth is found by careful and judicious search. Gidon Rothstein reviews…
November 14, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at November 14, 2024
The kashrut status of dishwashers and the propriety of Bat Mitzva ceremonies have absolutely nothing to do with each other, right? Ostensibly, that may be true. But, Moshe Kurtz digs below the surface to identify the common theme that emerges from this odd pairing of topics addressed by R. Moshe Feinstein in a short, yet iconic responsum.
November 12, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at November 12, 2024
Rabbi Prof. Daniel Sperber responds to a recent review of his book “Vegetarianism, Ecology, and Business Ethics” (Urim Publications). Having seen abattoirs up close he defends his critique of contemporary kosher slaughter standards against the critique of his reviewers.
November 10, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at November 10, 2024
Writing for TRADITION, Menachem Kellner recently reviewed ArtScroll’s new anthology of Maimonidean philosophy, “Kisvei HaRambam: Writings of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon,” and profiled “The Guide to the Perplexed: A New Translation” (Stanford University Press). With some critical reservations in place, in this podcast with Jeffrey Saks he applauds ArtScroll for a new openness to exposing its readers to Maimonides the philosopher, and praises the new translation of the Guide as an important corrective to earlier works that occluded the fact that “Rambam was also a rabbi”!
November 7, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at November 7, 2024
Chaim Strauchler questions the hermetically-sealed plastic sleeves in which hadassim and aravot are delivered. What advantages and disadvantages does pre-checking mitzvot create?
November 5, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at November 5, 2024
It’s hard to shed light on the circuitous debate surrounding the Haredi draft exemption, but Yosefa Fogel Wruble approaches the debate from the angle of another well-known “exemption”: that of women from many mitzvot, like Talmud Torah and certain time-caused commandments, which has contributed to an internal religious posture impacting the entirety of religious society. Can this parallel help explain Haredi society’s attitude toward draft exemption—and what might produce a shift?
November 3, 2024
Published by Tradition Online at November 3, 2024
You can't go home again—or can you? Tuvia Tenenbom left the insular streets of Bnei Brak for the bourgeois boulevards of Berlin. But he later decided to spend a year in Jerusalem within the cloistered and narrow alleyways of one of the city’s most reclusive Hasidic communities. Will they let him stay in their community? What will he find? Ben Rothke review’s “Careful, Beauties Ahead!,” and shares the surprises he found in its pages.