Articles

When Homer Met the Mishnah The rabbis of the Mishnah and the Talmud didn’t shut out Greek culture – they engaged with it. Prof. Menachem Hirshman reveals how Greek rhetoric and philosophy shaped Jewish texts in surprising ways By Melody Barron

Parashat Vayechi: On Reassurance When Joseph reassured his brothers, he offered comfort rooted in faith and purpose. But reassurance and comfort are not one size fits all. The real challenge is knowing what the person in front of us needs to hear By Lior Tal Sadeh

From the Talmud to the Supreme Court: Hebrew Law’s Role in Modern Israel A conversation with Prof. Benny Porat about Hebrew law, welfare law, and the 3,000-year-old library that can assist modern Israeli judges By Noa Sorek

An Inner Growl Jerusalem poet Hedva Harekhavi has passed away. Her extraordinary work preserved what Hebrew poetry almost lost: the free union of music and word creating urgent, uninhibited verse that flowed like ancient tribal song in a modern feminine voice By Noa Sorek

Hidden in Plain Sight: The Story of Ancient Jewish Life in the Golan Archaeological discoveries since 1967 have revealed a thriving Jewish community in the ancient Golan Heights, with over 25 synagogues and extensive trade networks, comfirming the region’s long-overlooked role in Jewish history By Alex Stein

Parashat Vayigash: Framing and Reframing The same reality can be seen as tragedy or providence, depending on how we frame it. Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers reveals how reframing doesn’t just provide comfort – it’s a tool that shapes our experience and choices By Lior Tal Sadeh

Simon Frug: The Missing Link between Judah Leib Gordon and Bialik He was a revered genius who wrote in Russian, Yiddish, and Hebrew, and had a profound influence on Bialik – yet his name has almost disappeared. Who was that great forgotten poet? An interview with Dr. Velvl Chernin By Noa Sorek

Parashat Miketz: A Life for a Life When is it permissible to sacrifice one life to save many? A tragic shipwreck, an ancient Tosefta, and Joseph’s test of his brothers all converge on one answer By Lior Tal Sadeh

A Jewish Journey Through Hungary While Jewish communities were expelled from Spain and England centuries ago, Hungary’s Jewish presence endured almost without interruption. Historian Dr. Katherine Aron-Beller FRHistS reveals the rich tapestry of bourgeois integration, Hasidic mysticism, and tragic resilience that makes Hungary essential for understanding European Jewish history By Gilad Halpern

Parashat Vayeshev: On Compromise Judah proposed a compromise: don’t kill Joseph, sell him into slavery instead. His brothers agreed. Some compromises aren’t virtuous – they’re morally catastrophic. When does compromise become sin? By Lior Tal Sadeh

What Does Moses Have to Do with the Hasmoneans? Professor Avigdor Shinan explains why you can’t learn almost anything about the Hasmonean period from the Sages, but you can from Moses By Avigdor Shinan

Between Two Worlds Hayim Nahman Bialik stood on the threshold of traditional Jewish learning, caught between devotion and doubt. His poetry reveals a complex relationship with Torah study that went beyond simple nostalgia – and offers a model for navigating tradition and modernity that still resonates today By Alex Stein

The Hit Man Uzi Hitman, the cheerful children’s TV host, wrote and composed hundreds of songs that became so embedded in Israeli culture it feels like they’ve always existed. This is the story of a songwriter who refused to pick a genre and ended up defining a country’s sound By BAC Staff

Parashat Vayishlach: Fear Meets Embrace We often carry the memory of harm we’ve caused far longer than those we’ve hurt. Jacob’s reunion with Esau – and a revealing slip of the tongue – illuminates the psychological cost of unresolved guilt and the redemptive power of facing those we’ve wronged By Lior Tal Sadeh

The Lost Literary World of Judeo-Arabic For centuries, Arabic was the language of Jewish intellectual life, scholarship, and daily conversation. Yet this rich tradition – spanning groundbreaking Torah translations, philosophical treatises, and intimate letters – remains largely unknown. Professor Miriam Goldstein explores why recovering Judeo-Arabic literature is essential to understanding Jewish history By Alex Stein