Latest Essays

The story of the scouts introduces Hoshea bin Nun for the first time, following which Moses renames (only) him Joshua before sending him off to scout the land. And yet, Joshua has already featured in several stories as Moses’ protégé.

When Eldad and Medad prophesy in the camp, Joshua zealously presses for their incarceration. Moses, however, exclaims that all the people should ideally be prophets.

And the Re-imagining of the Harvest Festival in the Wake of the Babylonian Exile

A 364 Day Solar Year

The book of Jubilees is the earliest source to connect Shavuot to the Sinai covenant.

Illustrating four aspects of Shavuot from critical and traditional perspectives.

A Personal Reflection

A tale of chesed and chutzpah

A New Look at the Meaning of the Sotah and Nazir Rituals

Two Problems In Parashat Bemidbar 

A new insight based on archaeology

The Torah prohibits a mourning ritual called tonsuring, i.e., the pulling out or cutting of hair to express sorrow. Rabbinic interpretation understood these verses as a prohibition for men to shave their beards or temples with a razor. Ibn Ezra, however, uncharacteristically rejects the rabbinic interpretation of these verses, and Shadal, who accepts ibn Ezra's reading, goes as far as to say that he himself shaves with a razor.