History & Ideas
How many rabbis first translated the Hebrew Bible, and how many different translations did they produce?
The author of Self-Made stops by to talk about how the modern self came to be, and how it differs from older, traditional modes of living.
Insects may be welcome on European plates, but not kosher meat.
European hypocrisy on animal rights and ritual slaughter comes straight from an ancient Christian heresy.
The author of And None Shall Make Them Afraid stops by to talk about his new book and how history has a role to play in forming devotion to the Jewish people.
The editor and political analyst stops by to discuss American constitutional structures and how relevant they are to Israel.
And does their presence illuminate the book of Exodus—or is it simply a sign that ancient Egypt was a powerful nation?
What better way to defeat the cynicism of today’s cultured despisers than by knowing their foundations better than they do themselves?
The author of “The Demise of Jewish Studies in America—and the Rise of Jewish Studies in Israel” joins us to discuss his essay and the troubles of his chosen field.
A new book examines a murky plot.
Jewish teachings have shaped Western civilization from the beginning. How can Jews build schools that encourage the rising generation to take this responsibility seriously?
A rabbi and Bible scholar joins us to talk about his trips to biblical Egypt, and about the role of Egypt in the Jewish imagination.
Hebrew was once written in both directions. How did it fix its direction, and what does that show about the history of writing in general?
For the first time, a whole sentence in ancient Canaanite has been found. Only six words long, it brings us many words closer to the age of the Patriarchs.