Talmud

Israel’s biggest threats demand unity, not partisan warfare - opinion

Israelis must decide whether politics exists to strengthen the country – or whether the country itself will surrender its fate to partisan warfare.

Israelis attend a protest march against the decision of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire head of Shin Bat Ronen Bar, at the entrance to Jerusalem, March 19, 2025.
Brit milah ceremony 311

The real threat behind Europe’s crackdown on brit milah - opinion

ULTRA-ORTHODOX RECRUITS arrive at the IDF Recruitment Center at Tel Hashomer, early Jan.

What Shavuot teaches about Israel’s haredi military service debate

A medieval court of law.

Once, Jews defended themselves to survive. Now this reflects defeat - opinion


The red heifer: A statute with a cause - opinion

As a people bound to our Jewish texts, we question and delve into the unknowable to understand our relationship to God and mitzvot more fundamentally.

 The red heifers brought to Israel from Texas.

Newly discovered link between Hercules, Israel suggests cultural exchange in region - study

2,800-year-old stamp in Tel Hazor connects Hercules to northern Israel, depicting a hero battling a seven-headed serpent, reflecting Levantine visual culture and myth transmission complexities

 The scene depicted on the surface of this black-figued amphora shows Heracles and his servant Ialous fighting the Lernean Hydra and the giant crab. Behind the hero the goddess Athena.

Could pages from the Talmud assist in dealing with problems Israel has today? - opinion

As much as many of us might like things to be black and white or exactly fit how we think the world should be, life is rarely ever like that.

 MEN STUDY the Talmud and other holy books at a Beit Midrash.

‘Suffs’ creator Shaina Taub cites Jewish text in Tony Awards acceptance speech

Shaina Taub, celebrating her Tony wins for "Suffs," quoted the Talmud in her speech, emphasizing unity for change amid challenging times in the US and globally.

Shaina Taub at the 2022 Drama League Awards

Finding purpose in cheesecake on Shavuot - opinion

As we once again accept the Torah, let us take it upon ourselves to find new ways to infuse holiness into our routines, to feel the presence and the relevance of the Torah in everything we do.

 CUSTOMERS SHOP in the dairy section of a supermarket ahead of Shavuot. The Torah calls on us to find holiness in our every action – our meals, our work, our everyday interactions with others, and beyond, says the writer.

The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: the Talmud and feminine dichotomy

'The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic' discusses the six women in the Talmud who are cited by name, and matches them with six paradigms of the female.

 THE AUTHOR references ‘madwoman in the attic’ from Charlotte Brontë’s Gothic-style classic ‘Jane Eyre,’ connecting her to Talmudic stories about women.

What's going on with Israel during the war is not normal - opinion

When we are constantly exposed to images and stories of war, famine, disaster, or other human tragedies, there is a risk that we become desensitized, experiencing what is known as compassion fatigue.

 SHANI LOUK’S father, Nissim, looks on at Shani’s funeral this week, after her body was retrieved by the IDF from the Gaza Strip. Shani was murdered on October 7 as she tried to escape the Hamas massacre at the Supernova music festival.

Angel of death and signs of hope, Israel's dichotomy - opinion

In the Jewish nation, horror and hope go hand in hand. As we move to Remembrance Day and Independence Day, we must hold space for pain, but not lose sight of celebration.

 Aner Shapira z"l

President Herzog gifts Babylonian Talmud that survived the Holocaust to Yad Vashem

The Talmud had been entrusted to Rabbi Yitzhak Halevi Herzog in 1946, while he was recovering Jewish children hiding in non-Jewish homes and monastries.

Babylonian Talmud that survived the Holocaust gifted to Yad Vashem by President Herzog, April 17, 2024.

We must fight for hostages but know we cannot imagine what they're going through - opinion

The tale speaks to the value of personal experience, suggesting that reading, hearing, or knowing about an event cannot replace the unmediated moment of personal experience.

 Illustration of a hostage being taken.