Celebrate
A Megillah for Hanukkah?
The case for reviving a tradition of reading the Scroll of Antiochus.
Lamentations
Eicha, the Book of Lamentations, asks important questions that address the theological crisis following the Jewish exile.
The Jewish Connection to Jerusalem
Remembering Jerusalem permeates Jewish belief, thought, and practice in profound and powerful ways.
A Communal Mourning
On Tisha B'Av, re-enacting the sorrow felt by those who survived the destruction of the Temple
Shavuot In the Community
Some of the customs associated with this holiday display remnants of the agricultural tradition.
The Lesson of Habakkuk
An interpretation of this reading explains why Israel received God's revelation.
Self-Deception
Before the Children of Israel enter the land, Moses cautions them against self-deception, an appropriate warning for the High Holidays as well.
How the Book of Esther Changed
Several Greek versions of the Purim story survive, along with the biblical text we read today.
Jewish Law, Shabbat and the World to Come
The school of Shammai constructed its version of the Sabbath laws on the basis of the notion that Shabbat is a foretaste of life in the perfect world, yet to come.