Latest Essays
The Haggadah: A New Telling of the Exodus Story
The Haggadah: A New Telling of the Exodus Story
In the Second Temple period, the core ritual of Pesach was eating the sacrificial meal and praising God. With the destruction of the Temple, the seder, with its focus on telling the story of the exodus, took the place of the paschal sacrifice as the core ritual.
Shemurah Matzah: Guarded from Water and for a Mitzvah
Shemurah Matzah: Guarded from Water and for a Mitzvah
Shemurah matzah, “guarded matzah,” has two meanings: The matzah is guarded so that it does not become chametz, and the matzah is made with the express intent that it be used to fulfill the mitzvah. This latter idea, however, does not appear in any of the early (Tannaitic or Amoraic) layers of the Talmud, but only in the editorial (Stammaitic) layer. This article demonstrates how this notion entered rabbinic literature.[1]
Exodus: Not the Only Tradition About Israel’s Past
Exodus: Not the Only Tradition About Israel’s Past
The Torah implores us to remember and teach the exodus, yet surprisingly, some biblical passages seem unaware of this event and describe an alternative tradition: God found Israel in the wilderness.
Making Ma’aser Work for the Times
Making Ma’aser Work for the Times
In Leviticus and Numbers, ma’aser (tithing) refers to a Temple tax; in Deuteronomy, however, it refers either to what must be brought and consumed on a pilgrimage festival or to charity. This dichotomy led the rabbis to design the cumbersome system of the first and second tithes (maaser rishon and maaser sheni).
The Tabernacle, the Creation, and the Ideal of an Orderly World
The Tabernacle, the Creation, and the Ideal of an Orderly World
The account of the Tabernacle’s construction echoes the creation story in Genesis 1-2:4a, providing an interpretive key to the ancient understanding of this structure. Ritual theory provides further insight into what Israelite readers may have found meaningful about the Tabernacle as a ritual place.
