The Simcha Of Purim: Why Is There A Mitzvah To Make A Bride & Groom Happy?

Devir Kahan
Holidays, Purim

We are blessed to be a part of a religion that values and places great emphasis on happiness and joy. A common refrain is that one must be b’simcha whilst in the service of God, with Tehillim’s rather famous dictum of ivdu es HaShem b’simcha (100) as just one example. Indeed, a fundamental aspect of all holidays is that one must experience joy, with Purim being a day dedicated exclusively to just that...

Mishloach Manos: A Great Rule In The Torah

Shoshana Rozenberg
Purim

The mitzvah of “ve’ahavta le’reacha kamocha” (Vayikra 19:18) is spelled out explicitly in the Torah. According to Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos, and Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzer, it is counted as one of the positive commandments. It is an emotionally-driven *mitzvah* that is immediately preceded by two other emotion-based mitzvos: “lo sitor v’lo sikom,” the prohibition of bearing a grudge or taking revenge...

Parshas Vayikra: What A Simple Grammatical Shift Teaches Us About The Torah’s View On Individualism & Community

Devir Kahan
Parsha

Parshas Vayikra and its surrounding parshios are generally the ones that most people do not find overly interesting nor particularly satisfying to learn. This stems from a fundamental error, however. Korbanos — the primary topic of these parshios — far from being merely the ritualistic slaughtering of animals and sprinkling of blood, are really all symbolic. God states repeatedly throughout Nach that He does not care about the slaughtering of cows, but instead desires the required actions, mindset, growth, and corrections that are meant to be an outgrowth of the korban (Isaiah 1:11; Hosea 6:6; etc.)...

Sports Is Idolatrous

Anonymous
Machshavah, Editorial

Recently, hundreds of people gathered in downtown Detroit to watch two cats fighting over a piece of meat. Individual participants painted themselves to represent respective cats, alcohol was in abundance, fights broke out, and endless dollars were spent on being able to witness this incredible display of sociality and achievement. By the time the blue-eyed calico cat had won, all felt much better about themselves, the calico, and the general state of the universe...

The Truth About Halachic Authority (Part 2): Who Can Argue With The Sanhedrin?

R. Moshe Shure
Halachic Authority

We previously mentioned that one who knows that the Sanhedrin is wrong is not allowed to follow their decision. This is based on the Gemara in Horayos (2b). This idea is even more explicit in the Yerushalmi (1:1) which states clearly that if the Sanhedrin tells you that “your right is left” (or vice versa), one should not listen to them. Additionally, the language of the Sifrei is “if it appears to you that they have erred, then you should follow them”, which tells us that if we are sure that they have erred, then we should not follow them...

No Fear Biblical Criticism: Critical Approaches & The Documentary Hypothesis

Levi Morrow
Bible Criticism

Perhaps the biggest issue people face when approaching Biblical Criticism is their misconceptions about what it really is. When most people hear the words “Biblical Criticism” they immediately think of the Documentary Hypothesis. Ultimately, however, the Documentary Hypothesis is only a small portion of the vast tapestry that is Biblical Criticism. In truth, Biblical Criticism is such a broad field that the best definition might be “Academic Approaches to the Bible.” What this means is that Biblical Criticism includes many different approaches with many different interests...

Amos 7:1-8:3 — Dark Navi Rises

Yaacov Bronstein
Amos, Nach

Our current section provides some qualitatively new material to contend with. Breaking from the textually dominant rebuking speech, a series of four prophetic visions comprises the bulk of this section. A short narrative offers the only recorded portrayal of Amos directly interacting with his audience, inserted between the third and fourth visions. The entire section is remarkably illustrative of the Prophet’s self-perspective as well as the dynamic between prophet and audience...

No Fear Biblical Criticism: Introduction

Levi Morrow
Bible Criticism

Not too long ago Professor Yoram Hazony wrote an article critiquing the approach to Biblical Criticism taken by Open Orthodoxy — or at least by the Open Orthodox community he had spent a shabbat with. It’s an excellent article; one that admits to being a product of the author’s subjective experience, while still being bold enough to pose challenging questions...

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