Was Exodus a Trick?
“Let us deal shrewdly with them," the Bible quotes Pharaoh as saying. On the deceits of the Exodus story.
Rov in a Time of Cholera
From limiting minyan sizes to magical amulets, a look at how one rabbi faced waves of cholera epidemics over his long 19th-century career.
When Everything Matters
Bellow on Roth on TV.
The Best Revenge: A (Qualified) Case for Hunters
“I need an army,” the American Nazi says, “hundreds of ignorant white men looking for someone to blame.”
Suspecting Esther
For Seymour Epstein, the Megillah depicts the cycle of passivity and overreaction that is endemic to the diaspora.
Haman, Builder of Towers, Brother of Abraham?
A new book raises the possibility that interpretive motifs from within both Jewish and Islamic traditions might have led to the uniquely Islamic tradition that Abraham and Haman were brothers.
Empty Torah Cases and “Little Purims”
There are more than a hundred known examples of Little Purims commemorating miraculous deliverances of Jewish communities in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Conversion, “Catholic Israel,” and the Jewish Future: An Exchange
Tal Keinan argued for a radical transformation of Jewish life in God Is in the Crowd. Our editor wasn't convinced, which led to a pointed but cordial discussion.
The Inheritance of Jacob: A Rejoinder
Abraham Socher closes out his exchange with Tal Keinan, author of God Is in the Crowd with a rejoinder.
Crowds and Converts: A Response to Abraham Socher
Tal Keinan has written an interesting response to Abe Socher’s review of his book, which takes the conversation in a new direction.