Study the Torah with Academic Scholarship

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Teaching Torah

Did Rashi Experience Divine Inspiration?

Rashi’s Torah commentary is largely adapted from classic rabbinic sources, including midrash halakhah. And yet, he often changes their meaning in his revisions. Where does Rashi get the authority to make these changes?

Dr.

Yehudah Cohn

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Why Are Laws for Priests Included in the Torah?

The Torah’s program to democratize knowledge and create an educated laity.

Prof. Rabbi

Jeffrey Tigay

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Arousing the Truth with Malachi and the Piacezner Rebbe

Dr.

Aviva Gottlieb Zornberg

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Moses’ Commandments: The Secret of R. Nissim of Marseilles

In the 14th century, R. Nissim of Marseilles suggested that God told Moses only the general command for the Tabernacle and the laws in the Torah, and Moses himself wrote the details and attributed them to God as a way of glorifying God. A close look at many passages in Deuteronomy suggests that this was an early conception of Moses’ role in commanding the mitzvot.

Prof. Rabbi

David Frankel

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Nahum M. Sarna

A Biography by Prof. Marc Zvi Brettler, and Eulogy (delivered at the funeral) by Prof. Lawrence Schiffman.

Prof.

Marc Zvi Brettler

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Prof.

Lawrence H. Schiffman

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Was Moses Our Teacher a Good Teacher?

Evaluating Deuteronomy’s angst about Israel’s future in light of the story of Ahiqar and modern educational research into student resistance.

Prof.

Steven Weitzman

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A Precariously Fragile Torah

Moses and R. Judah HaNasi implore: “I would be most grateful if you would maintain the Torah after me.”

Prof.

Steven Fraade

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Torah Study Is Essential for Ensuring Observance

To uphold the covenant, Deuteronomy requires two forms of torah study: Learning the commandments and learning the reasons for keeping them. But what happens if even that fails?

Dr.

Baruch Alster

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Teaching Biblical Scholarship in a Modern Orthodox High School

The personal and educational challenges I faced teaching an introductory course on biblical scholarship to Modern Orthodox high school seniors: What I learned, what my students took home, and some suggestions on how to move forward.

Sara Susswein Tesler

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Can Orthodox Education Survive Biblical Criticism?

Dr. Rabbi

Zev Farber

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