Jeffrey Spitzer
Jeffrey Spitzer teaches Bible, Rabbinics, Jewish history and Jewish leadership, and is a house associate at the American Hebrew Academy, a Jewish boarding school in Greensboro, North Carolina. He previously was the chair of the Rabbinic Literature department at Gann Academy, a Jewish high school in Waltham, Massachusetts, and has taught in numerous adult Jewish education programs.
Articles by Jeffrey Spitzer
Jewish Peace Offerings
Deuteronomy's laws of warfare include the requirement that a nation seek a peaceful settlement before engaging in war.
Alcohol on Purim
Are Jews really obligated to drink to the point of not knowing the difference between Haman and Mordecai?
Israel as Estranged Wives and Widows
The metaphor of Israel as the wife of God receives several potent and shocking midrashic reinterpretations as the rabbis reflect on Israel's suffering and persecution.
The Bearers of Tradition
Opposition to Tradition of Commentary on Jewish Texts. Connections in Jewish Texts. About Jewish Texts. Jewish Texts. People of the Book.
How to Treat Jewish Holy Books (Sifrei Kodesh)
Jews demonstrate the sanctity of biblical and rabbinic texts in several ways.
Valuing Debate and Conversation
Jewish tradition, informed by the precedent of the Talmud, prefers to promote discussion rather than correctness.
Traditional Commentaries on the Shema
Commentaries on the three paragraphs of the Shema read Jewish concepts both out of and into the text.
A Timeline of Jewish Texts
How did the different genres of Jewish texts develop chronologically?
Shema as a Love Story
The three paragraphs of the Shema can be interpreted allegorically by connecting each of the three paragraphs to a different stage of a growing, loving relationship.
Every Person is a Tree
The Biblical law protecting fruit trees during war provides an opportunity for Jewish exegetes to reflect on ecology and the wanton destruction of life.