The Great Non-Miracle Rabbi of Prague
A new biography of Ezekiel Landau (the Noda Biyehudah) makes a controversial claim about his views on Kabbalah.
The Hasidim: An Underground History
David Assaf introduces us to Hasidic Rebbes who ride into small towns and take over. (If cowboys were Hasidim, this would be Deadwood.)
The Martyr of Reason
On Saturday evening, December 31, 1785, the eminent Enlightenment philosopher Moses Mendelssohn left his house to deliver a manuscript. He had finished it on Friday afternoon but, as an observant Jew, Mendelssohn waited until the Sabbath concluded to bring it to his publisher. He died a few days later on January 4, 1786, at the age of 56.
The Poet Goes to War
Poet Eliaz Cohen is a Religious Zionist who lives with his family on a kibbutz in the southern West Bank. And thereby hangs a tale.
The Rise of Hank Greenberg
On Rosh Hashana, Greenberg went to shul, then the ballpark and hit two home runs. "Hank’s Homers are strictly Kosher," said the Detroit Free Press.
Words, Words, Words
The super sad truth about Gary Shteyngart's new novel.
Yehuda Amichai: At Play in the Fields of Verse
Yehuda Amichai was an exuberant person with a lively, impish sense of humor. He was, at the same time, a melancholy man. Both traits are present in his poetry.
Begin’s Shakespeare
Memories of Israel's early prime ministers, by the man who wrote their speeches.
Biblical Start-Ups
A prominent Israeli novelist on novelties in the Bible.
Buried Treasure
Hundreds of thousands of Jewish manuscripts were redeemed from Egypt.