Articles

The Language of the Expulsion from Spain If you thought Ladino was simply a frozen relic of medieval Spain, think again. According to Professor Eliezer Papo, Ladino was actually born after the Expulsion from Spain – and went on to become the cornerstone of Sephardic Jewish culture By Noa Sorek

When Words Falter, Poetry Speaks Maya Tevet Dayan has won Israel’s First Lady’s Prize for Hebrew Poetry for “The Wandering Jewess,” written after October 7. At the President’s Residence, four contemporary Hebrew poets were honored for poetry that carries what prose cannot By Noa Sorek

For Man is a Tree of the Field A rhetorical question, stripped of its question mark over centuries, became one of Judaism’s most quoted lines. Dr. Itay Marienberg-Milikowsky on reading the Talmud in an age of climate crisis – and what its ancient laws get right, and wrong By Alex Stein

Reading Spinoza in XXI-Century Israel Excommunicated for heresy in 1656, Baruch Spinoza went on to lay the philosophical groundwork for liberal democracy – and is widely regarded as the first secular Jew. Prof. Pini Ifergan on why Spinoza’s ideas still matter today By Gilad Halpern

The Dark Side of Judaism Ghosts, demons, and fallen angels don’t usually come to mind alongside Talmudic law – but for the rabbis of the Talmud and Midrash, the dark side of the supernatural was never far from the sacred. Dr. Chen Marx explores why these stories were told, and why we still need them By Alex Stein

Parashat Eikev: When peace comes at the expense of justice The golden calf was one of the gravest sins ever committed by the Israelites. Although instrumental in it, Aaron – Moses’ brother and second-in-command – was spared God’s wrath, as opposed to many others. What was it about Aaron’s leadership that saved him? By Lior Tal Sadeh

Parashat Vaetchanan: Merciful and Jealous God is described as both merciful and jealous, a paradox that defies Aristotelian logic. Yet paradoxical thinking shows how opposites can coexist. On Tisha B’Av, we learn that loving God means practicing lovingkindness in the world By Lior Tal Sadeh

Parashat Devarim: Law or Justice? A man named Elmer Palmer murdered his grandfather to inherit his estate. Legally, he was entitled. Morally, he wasn’t. Exploring Moses’ command to “judge righteously” and the judge’s duty to transcend the letter of the law when justice demands By Lior Tal Sadeh

The Forgotten Prophet of Jewish Survival Yehezkel Kaufmann predicted the destruction of European Jewry before the Nazis rose to power – and spent his life explaining why assimilation could never fully succeed. A journey into the thought of a forgotten biblical scholar By Gilad Halpern

A Poet for Our Time: Celebrating 150 Years of Shaul Tchernichovsky At Beit Avi Chai’s annual Hebrew Book Week program at the President’s Residence, poetry, music, study, and conversation revealed why Shaul Tchernichovsky’s voice continues to resonate in Israel today By Noa Sorek

The Invention of Prayer Prayer feels timeless, but Judaism only gradually transformed it into a structured religious practice. Dr. Shraga Bick explores how prayer evolved from a spontaneous biblical expression into a central act of worship By Alex Stein

Halacha and Morality Aren’t Meant to Clash Four medieval Jewish philosophers – Maimonides, Sa’adia Gaon, Judah Halevi, and the little-known Isaac Polqar – saw no real conflict between Jewish law and morality, even where modern eyes might perceive one By Alex Stein

Parashat Masei: City of Refuge An accidental death demands justice – but what kind? The City of Refuge teaches that intention matters as much as action. From ancient law to modern courts, examining how we balance responsibility, forgiveness, and the complexity of human error By Lior Tal Sadeh

Parashat Pinchas: Between Zealotry and Peace Phinehas commits an act of zealotry and is rewarded with a covenant of peace. Elijah kills false prophets and later comes to make peace. A paradox reveals itself: a zealot strong enough to draw clear lines is capable of genuine peace By Lior Tal Sadeh

The Book That Returned from the Dead For centuries, Pesikta de-Rav Kahana – one of the most remarkable works of rabbinic literature – simply vanished. Now scholars are piecing it back together, and discovering what it reveals about how ancient Jews responded to crisis and loss By Alex Stein