Articles

Parashat Naso: Drinking the Bitter Water The Torah’s ritual of the Sotah – where a woman suspected of adultery must drink a mixture with supernatural characteristics – represents one of scripture’s most disturbing passages. This ancient trial by ordeal forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about jealousy, patriarchy, and the persistence of domestic violence from biblical times till today By Lior Tal Sadeh

To Be with His People When Leonard Cohen traded his Greek island idyll for the Sinai Desert during one of Israel’s darkest hours, he created an enduring legend. Now, fifty years later, Beit Avi Chai brings this extraordinary chapter to life through music, rare footage, and Cohen’s own wartime journals – a production that resonates even more profoundly in the wake of October 7 By Alex Stein

The Genius Between the ancient wisdom of the Talmud and the cutting-edge philosophy of the Islamic Golden Age stood Sa’adia Gaon – a brilliant mind who refused to choose between tradition and innovation. His extraordinary legacy spans continents and centuries, from his Arabic Torah translation still used by Yemenite Jews to his pioneering dictionary work that revolutionized Hebrew scholarship By BAC Staff

Parashat Bamidbar: The “Journey To” Is More Difficult than the “Journey From” Explore how the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness reveals surprising insights about tribal identity and national unity in today's Israel By Lior Tal Sadeh

Languages of the Soul Professor Yoram Bilu, one of the pioneers of psychological anthropology, returns to the turning point when he abandoned Freudian clinical practice in favor of dream interpretation, folk Kabbalah, and Tzadikim worship rituals, and talks about the understanding that not every distress speaks the same language By Noa Sorek

Between Mount Meron and Mount Herzl: Pilgrimage and Psychology “Life’s small problems are meant for the righteous, because religion and God are here to solve the big problems.” Anthropologist Prof. Yoram Bilu explains the deep need for visiting the tombs of the righteous By Noa Sorek

Parashat Behar: The Fifty-Year Reset The biblical Jubilee – a fifty-year economic reset that cancels debts and redistributes land – found an unlikely champion in Ze'ev Jabotinsky, the anti-socialist founder of right-wing Revisionist Zionism. Discover how this fierce defender of economic freedom came to embrace an ancient model of periodic wealth redistribution, and what his vision might teach us about balancing markets with morality today By Lior Tal Sadeh

Jews Living in Modernity and Not Merely Beside It For two millennia, the Talmud – not the Hebrew Bible – stood at the center of Judaism. Discover how modern thinkers from Spinoza to Ben-Gurion revolutionized this hierarchy, placing the Tanakh at Judaism’s core through philosophical and secular reinterpretations By Melody Barron

Agnon Unveiled Ten things you might not know about Shmuel Yosef Agnon By BAC Staff

When Zevel Became Zahav How a silly trading card phenomenon sold 17.5 million packs in just 10 months, then vanished – leaving an unexpected imprint on Israeli political discourse that persists decades later By Gilad Halpern

Parashat Emor: The Children of Sabbath The Torah once barred those with ‘defects’ from sacred duties. Today, we accept each person as created in God’s image. Discover how religious and legal perspectives on disability have transformed over time By Lior Tal Sadeh

Beyond the Beehive The story of Alon Oleartchik is the story of Israeli music itself – rooted in immigration, blossoming through cultural fusion, and continuously evolving. From Kaveret’s beloved quirky rock to groundbreaking Mizrahi influences, his seven-decade-long journey reflects a nation finding its voice

Stop Picking at the Wound This year commemorates the 120th anniversary of Viktor Frankl’s birth. His teachings are more relevant than ever for Israel after October 7: Logotherapy as a path to finding meaning, hope, and resilience through trauma By Matan Chaim

Parashat Kedoshim: Actions Given to the Heart In Parashat Kedoshim, we discover why certain commandments include ‘you shall fear your God—because our true intentions remain hidden from others but never from the Divine. Explore how the concept of “actions given to the heart” challenges us to examine our deepest motivations By Lior Tal Sadeh

The Many Ben-Gurions The many portraits of David Ben-Gurion by artist Pinchas Litvinovsky reveal the contradictory character of Israel’s founding father. “He was a man of the big picture as much as he was a man of the small details,” explains historian Dr. Avi Shilon, whose research illuminates how Ben-Gurion’s complex personality – simultaneously unscrupulous and prophetic – continues to fascinate decades after his tenure By Gilad Halpern