Articles

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

Five Things You Didn’t Know About Brit Milah Circumcision is identified more than anything with Judaism – but its origin is much more distant. Dr. Yael Escojido shares five surprising facts about the ancient custom that crosses cultures and religions By Noa Sorek

Parashat Vayetze: Between Expectation and Reality Jacob waited seven years for Rachel and they felt like mere days. But when she needed him most, he failed her. How do we make the reality of love as sweet as its anticipation? By Lior Tal Sadeh

Parashat Toldot: When Flawed Ancestors Offer Hope We grew up hearing about Jacob the righteous and Esau the wicked. But the Torah itself tells a different story – one where our ancestors are deeply flawed people. A Los Angeles rabbi working with former addicts and criminals shows why that matters By Lior Tal Sadeh

The Rabbinic Imagination When the rabbis wrote about Alexander the Great, King Herod, and the fall of Jerusalem, they weren’t trying to record history – they were creating literature. Prof. Amram Tropper reveals how ancient sages transformed historical events into sophisticated narratives that carried their own messages By Alex Stein

The God of Descartes and Newton Religion, science, and the myth of the struggle between them – a conversation with Prof. Yemima Ben-Menahem By Noa Sorek

Parashat Chayei Sarah: The Plot Hole The banished Ishmael’s return to bury his father Abraham is explained by a VII century midrash: a story of reconciliation that offers hope for peace between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael today By Lior Tal Sadeh

The Jewish Question The question of the relationship between religion and nationhood has accompanied the people of Israel throughout the generations – from the Bible to the conflicts surrounding Zionism in the modern era. Dr. Assaf Malach returned to the roots of the question and to the multiplicity of voices within Judaism itself By Noa Sorek

Laughing off Disaster Professor David G. Roskies argues that Sholem Aleichem’s fictional Kasrilevka mirrors modern Israel’s struggles – from the Dreyfus Affair paralleling the hostage crisis to exploring resilience amid existential threat. Sholem Aleichem’s tragicomic vision remains urgently relevant By Gilad Halpern

Parashat Vayera: Abraham the Humanist vs. Abraham the Binder Parashat Vayera shows us an Abraham who argues with God to save strangers in Sodom, and an Abraham who silently binds his son Isaac on an altar. What do we do with this contradiction? And which Abraham do we choose to emulate? By Lior Tal Sadeh

Star of Redemption Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song,” which became a global anthem of freedom and hope, found its way to Kabbalat Shabbat services at Beit Avi Chai. Noa Sorek explores how this happened By Noa Sorek

Parashat Lech-Lecha Hillel Zeitlin’s radical reading of Lech Lecha transforms Abram’s journey into a call for spiritual liberation – from blind patriotism, tribal nationalism, and social conformity. But can we free ourselves from these attachments without losing our identity entirely? By Lior Tal Sadeh

The Story of Words Every Hebrew word is a time capsule. Etymologist Elon Gilad reveals how borrowed terms and linguistic innovations transformed an ancient liturgical language into modern Israel’s living, evolving tongue By Alex Stein

The Woman Behind the Shadow – Rachel Katznelson-Shazar Alongside being the wife of Zalman Shazar, Rachel Katznelson-Shazar was a pioneer, feminist, and visionary who championed women’s role in agriculture and founded Dvar HaPo’elet. Five decades after her death, her legacy deserves the spotlight By Noa Sorek

Parashat Noah: A Dove with an Olive Leaf In Parashat Noah, a dove returns from the flooded earth with an olive leaf – a sign of hope and renewal. But the Torah teaches us something deeper: Noah had to extend his hand to help the dove back into the ark. Drawing on Picasso’s iconic imagery, and an Israeli song born from conflict, we explore what it means to actively create peace in our broken world By Lior Tal Sadeh