In some ways, the more you understand Western culture, the more difficult it is to understand Chanukah. As children, we were taught a...

An excerpt from my recent Lehrhaus article on Jewish curiosity: Extensive research has established the fascinating connection between...

Some halachic concepts seem to be inherently philosophical. While the various procedures of the korbanot or the detailed laws of tumah ...

I still remember the first time I saw a wooly mammoth, towering over me in the American Museum of Natural History. It was amazing to...

Experiencing the Divine play... This period between the holidays of Purim and Passover has always struck me as a difficult transition....

“There the ships go, and Leviathan that You formed to play with.” (Psalms 104:26) The Talmud describes the Leviathan as an apocalyptic...

“And Moshe said, ‘I will turn aside now and see this great sight. Why is the bush not consumed?’” (Shemot 3:3) The Torah seems to...

It is hard to contend against one's heart's desire; for whatever it wishes to have, it buys at the cost of soul. -Heraclitus We all want...

What three painters taught me about the art of living playfully. The day is coming when a single carrot, freshly observed, will set off a...

A Mysterious Ensemble We can begin by exploring the history of commentary on the Perek Shira and then analyzing the nature of the text...

Although this part of the introduction can stand on its own, part I and part II will provide helpful context. The Great Sage In his...

Philo of Alexandria’s writings feel surprisingly modern for a philosopher who lived over two thousand years ago. Although he had a major...

Maimonides’ “Thirteen Principles of Faith” have become a popular summary of Jewish belief, but they wouldn’t be a truly Jewish credo...

In part I, we introduced the controversy surrounding Rebbe Yochanan's teaching in Eruvin 100b and noted that our earliest commentators...

What is a lion? The answer may depend on whom you ask. An ecologist will be inclined to view it as a unique component of an ecosystem,...

The Snake says: “The Lord supports all the fallen, and He straightens all the bent.” (Psalms 145:14) What qualities and behaviors strike...

As a child, I was always in my head, inventing characters and quests in enchanted worlds. I would run around the backyard, swinging a...