Paired Perspectives on the Parashah: Ki Tetzei
Ki Tetzei:
Family Loyalty and the Spirit of Yibbum
Articles
Overcoming the Negatives: Thoughts for Parashat Ki Tetsei
The Torah commands us not to harbor endless hatred for those who have persecuted us. It also teaches us that there are really wonderful people who overcome the hateful anti-Jewish stereotypes of their families/societies, and who embrace Judaism and the Jewish People. And we embrace them for their wisdom and courage. We need more of them.
Senators, Shandas and Stoopers
How wonderful it would be if instead of shandas and stoopers, we had courageous leaders who refused to be part of any “big tent” that included antisemites, racists and those who would slander and undermine the state of Israel. Wouldn’t it be heartening to have Jewish profiles in courage instead of defilers of courage?
Emile Zola's Moral Outrage: The Ethics of Whistle-blowing Today and Then
Whistle-blowing in our daily professional life is a real issue. Examples of purposeful misrepresentation, hypocrisy, and malfeasance can be found. These are problems for individual conscience to solve when confronting injustice and evil. Can we rely on our own conscience to choose correctly and to regulate the personal impulses that might drive ourselves or others to commit unfair, unjust, and even, criminal actions?
Interpreting and Analyzing the Five Megillot: Review of R. Hayyim Angel's New Book
The Heart of the Five Megillot is a model of what responsible, religiously serious Tanakh study can look like in our time. It is compact enough to be read with pleasure yet rich enough to reward repeated return. Readers accustomed to more uniformly traditional treatments will find Angel’s willingness to hold tensions—between peshat and derash, between human passion and divine love, between protest and faith—both challenging and liberating.
What do we expect from our synagogues?
In light of the new Pew study on Jewish affiliation, there will be a lot of hand-wringing about what the Jewish community can do to get people more engaged. My revolutionary suggestion? Get to synagogue
Why No Tent Protests for Sudan?
Where have all the idealistic student protesters gone? Why are their tents folded up and their bullhorns silent?
Where are the humanitarians with their placards demanding “Stop the Arab Genocide” and “Free Sudan”?
Where are the passionate op-eds and the politicians pointing accusing fingers?
Faith in Humanity?--Thoughts for Parashat Shofetim
Strange as it may seem, it may be easier to have faith in God than faith in humanity. The Holocaust is a notorious example of how bad human beings can be. But if we look at humanity today, we still see hatred, violence, anti-Semitism/anti-Zionism, terrorism, vicious conspiracy theories, lies, crimes large and small.
Mitchell First's book review of Rabbi Hayyim Angel's The Heart of the Five Megillot
Mitchell First, an accomplished scholar in his own right, has published a review of Rabbi Hayyim Angel's new commentary, The Heart of the Five Megillot. It appeared in The Jewish Link, July 30, 2026, page 127.
Reviewing: “The Heart of the Five Megillot” by Rabbi Hayyim Angel (2026)
American Jews and the Transformation of Israeli Judaism: Book Review
Ordinarily, a title claiming that a phenomenon is transformative sounds hyperbolic. In the case of this fascinating study by Bar-Ilan University professor Adam Ferziger, however, the claim is entirely justified.