Four Reasons to Leverage Pop Culture in the Judaic Studies Classroom
Can we learn Torah from Star Wars, superheroes, or the hit Netflix show ‘The Crown’? Olivia Friedman, a teacher at Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago, says yes, arguing that bringing pop culture into the Judaic studies classroom in a meaningful way not only makes learning more fun, but models the type of integration that Modern Orthodoxy stands for.
Retiring My Modern Orthodox DeLorean
Zev Eleff offers a rejoinder and some reflections on "What if Rav Aharon Had Stayed?"
The First Yeshiva Exile
Reading R. Eliezer b. Hyrcanus and Shammai through an autistic lens, Liz Shayne explores how uncompromising, righteous anger can find a place in the beit midrash.
Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler and the Golden Age of Jewish Medical Ethics
Alan Jotkowitz reflects on Rabbi Moshe Tendler’s unique contributions to Jewish medical ethics.
From Har Ke-gigit to Kiyemu Ve-kibelu: a Journey of Homo Religiosus
In a moving personal essay, Joshua Stadlan explores a famous Purim midrash with the commentary of Rav Soloveitchik to reflect on his life, religious journey, and relationship with God.
My War Diary
This war diary, presented by Susan Weingarten, relates her experience in a kibbutz on the Gazan border on October 7th and the days following her return to Jerusalem after the Hamas massacre.
Hamilton and the Orthodox Underdog
Alex Fleksher explores the intersection between Hamilton and the ba'al teshuvah experience.
Subjective Experience in Halakhah: Music During Sefirah as a Case Study
Judah Kerbel explores how differing approaches to listening to music during Sefirat ha-Omer balance the appropriate role for subjectivity in halakhic decision-making.
Epilogue
Tikva Hecht’s moving elegy for her mother, a lyric essay told in verse and art, reflects on the fragility of life and the final confession we recite in the Yom Kippur Amidah.
One Life to Live: Torah u-Madda Today
Sarah Rindner contemplates whether Torah u-Madda as it’s sometimes interpreted can engender unreflective allegiance to trends in contemporary society that might harm our religious communities.