Torah

The Torah tells us to love the stranger, but—contrary to what some activists claim—Jewish law and values do not mandate unrestricted immigration.

Marshall Breger
Sept. 12 2014 12:01AM

Deuteronomy warns that material wellbeing can lead to self-satisfaction and moral complacency. The antidote? Gratitude and generosity.

Shai Held
Sept. 12 2014 12:01AM

There is, and one strain of it needs to be reclaimed—especially in the aftermath of Gaza.

Yoel Finkelman
Sept. 3 2014 6:37PM

“The thing that does matter is that the Torah came from God. This is absolutely essential. At the same time, this is a claim not. . .

James Kugel
July 15 2014 12:01AM

Adorning the Ark of the Covenant described in this week’s Torah portion were two golden “cherubs” (kruvim). What did they symbolize?   

Joshua Gerstein
Feb. 21 2014 12:01AM

The biblical account of King David must be accurate, wrote the British diplomat Duff Cooper, because no people would invent a national hero so deeply flawed.

Jacob L. Wright
Feb. 17 2014 12:01AM

Six varieties of fruit served not merely as food for the ancient Israelites but as symbols that feature prominently in biblical names, laws, proverbs, and traditions.

David Moster
Jan. 30 2014 5:00AM

A literary and political masterpiece, the book of Deuteronomy deserves to be appreciated both for its final theological teaching and in light of the transformative. . .

Mark Leuchter
Jan. 29 2014 12:00AM

Some biblical scholars interpret the story of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38) as a case of sacred prostitution. Their reading is supported neither by textual. . .

Jan. 27 2014 12:00AM

The admonition against oppressing the stranger, which opens this week’s Torah portion, is a far from obvious response to the Israelites’ experience of enslavement in Egypt.

Shai Held
Jan. 24 2014 12:00AM

Featured in this week’s Torah portion is the Bible’s most famous teaching, which is less a founding legal code than an ethical paradigm for every. . .

Leon Kass
Jan. 17 2014 12:00AM

The 19th-century commentator known as the Malbim provides a template for how traditional biblical interpretation can adapt to scientific discovery.

Jan. 15 2014 12:00AM

Why does God command the Israelites to deceive the Egyptians on three separate occasions during the Exodus?

Elchanan Samet
Jan. 3 2014 12:00AM

In preparation for the exodus from Egypt, an apparent non-sequitur in this week’s Torah portion points to a crucial shift in the Israelite leadership:. . .

Yoseif Bloch
Dec. 26 2013 12:00AM