This Graphic Novel is a Bible Commentary. But What Kind?

David Zvi Kalman reviews Koren Publishers’ new graphic novel version of Megillat Esther.

Who Knows? Jewish Leadership in Times of Uncertainty

"Who Knows" seems to have become a recurring question for so many of us. Erica Brown shares personal and biblical reflections on the meaning of this phrase for the age of coronavirus.

Esther the Queen, Hester Prynne, and The Scarlet Letter as Biblical Commentary

Tzvi Sinensky explores the hidden world of Esther with the help of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Purim and Paul: The Torah Veiled and Unveiled

What do Paul, Purim costumes, and Purim torah all have in common? Yehuda Fogel delves into the meaning of hiddenness and its role in revelation on Purim.

Queen Aster and Queen Esther

Ariel Clark Silver describes how Queen Esther’s story inspired women’s rights activist Louisa May Alcott’s short fable of an Aster who wisely ruled the kingdom of the flowers.

Esther, Feminist Ethics, and the Creation of Jewish Community

How can the mitzvot of Purim reveal the feminist ethics of the Megillah? Aton Holzer offers an enlightening new reading of the Megillah, suggesting that there is a profound connection between the text's structure and its ethics.

Unorthodox? How Megillat Esther Justifies the Holiday of Purim

Tzvi Sinensky suggests that the Megillah itself confronts the question of Purim's legitimacy.

The Agagites

For Parshat Zakhor, this short story by Shira Eliaser richly imagines the world of King Saul and the clandestine encounter that brought Haman’s Amalekite ancestors into the world.

Purim and the Joke of Jewish Sovereignty

Zach Truboff argues that Purim reminds us of our vulnerability even with the State of Israel.

The Upside-Down Search for Hametz

Eli Genauer explores the profound impact of a printing error on the halakhot of Pesah.