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Past Issues (PDF)
24. War and Peace
23. Jewish Education
22. Jewish Leadership
21. The Year in Israel
20. Halakhah and Minhag
19. Torah, Literature, and the Arts
18. Kol Hamishtakker (Part I, Part II)
17. Jewish Denominations and Sects
16. Academic Jewish Studies
15. Family and Community
14. Musar and Jewish Ethics
13. Orthodoxy in the 21st Century
12. Jewish Philosophy
11. Qol Hamevaser
10. Jewish Education
9. Politics and Leadership
8. Spirituality: Teshuva and Tefillah
7. Israel at 60
6. Emunah
5. Torah U’Madda
4. A Nation Unto Itself?
3. Derekh Ha-Limmud
2. Judaism and Pop Culture
1. Religious Growth & Change-
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Latest Articles
David, Son of Jesse
“And I will dishonor myself even more, and be low in my own esteem…” (King David) [i] It was a momentous celebration in the City of David. The Ark of God had been rescued from captivity, and throngs of people paraded it through the streets, rejoicing as they had never done before. Young ... Read more →
Women’s Zimmun: It’s Just Not that Radical
[i] It is a classic picture: A family joined together for their Shabbat meal, enjoying delicious food, speaking divrei Torah, and singing zemirot (songs). Finally, the meal concludes with zimmun (the invitation to bless) and birkat ha-mazon (blessing after the meal). Many of you might have ... Read more →
Rav Lakhen Benot Yisrael: Humility and Rabba-nut
[i] The major problem—one of the major problems, for there are several—one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who ... Read more →
The Year in Israel: An Introduction to the Shanah ba-Arets
The year in Israel has become a widespread social phenomenon, to the point that, as many of the writers in this issue note, students finishing their yeshivah or day school educations are almost expected to continue their study with a year in Israel. This year is seen as a unique opportunity to ... Read more →
A Spectrum of Rabbi-Student Relationships in Light of the Year in Israel
The Gemara in Berakhot 62a relates a series of anecdotes about two Tanna’im and an Amora and the extremes to which each of them went in order to learn from his teacher. R. Akiva and Ben Azzai followed their mentors to the bathroom, while R. Kahana lay hidden under the marital bed of his ... Read more →
An Interview with Mrs. Mali Brofsky
What would you say are the basic goals of the shanah ba-arets for American students? I think the age at which people embark on this shanah alef experience is really a time of self-development and identity formation, and the year gives people an opportunity to think seriously about the ... Read more →
Shanah ba-Arets: Bridging the Gap
The year spent in Israel is often referred to as “the gap year,” a term that is quite problematic. A gap implies a hole, a break between two parts. This terminology encourages us to view the time spent studying in Israel as a break from the “real life” which comes before and after ... Read more →
An Interview with R. Daniel Rapp
In your opinion, what is the most important impact that the year in Israel has had on the Jewish community in the Diaspora? In my opinion, the biggest impact is that members of our community recognize the value of full-time learning. I think the key to the year in Israel is that we ... Read more →
Now in the Five Towns: Chronicling the Year in Israel
“The year in Israel is a relatively secretive phenomenon, a closely guarded mystery whose inner workings are known only to the students who have already experienced it.”[1] The year in Israel experience has become a centerpiece of the Torah education process in many of our communities, ... Read more →
An Interview with R. Dr. Shalom Berger
Please provide a brief history of shanah ba-arets programs and their development from their inception until now. Students have been traveling from the Diaspora to learn in Israel from time immemorial. I think that a good example is the story where Rabbi Ze’ira avoided Rav Yehudah, who wanted ... Read more →
Truly Once in a Lifetime? An Approach to Maximizing the Israel Gap Year Experience
It is almost de rigueur for Modern Orthodox Jewish teenagers to spend a gap year in Israel following completion of high school. For some, it is the experience of a lifetime, a Camelot in Jerusalem. For others, it is a disillusioning journey in a foreign land with a different culture and ... Read more →
After Israel: Potential and Pitfalls on Campus
I come to the discussion about the year in Israel experience from the particular vantage point of someone who has been involved in shanah ba-arets programs as well as the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) in the United States.[1] My husband and I were the dorm parents and Ra”mim ... Read more →
Eved Kena’ani: The Other Jewish Slave
Throughout history, Jews have contemplated the practical and ethical implications of the biblical injunction of slavery. As recently as the 19th century, the discussion of biblical slavery was of practical interest. During the American Civil War, a public and heated dialogue about the ... Read more →
Communal Obligation and the Right to Strike