Tradition Journal

23/11/2025

𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧: 𝗥𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗶 𝗦𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - TRADITION is delighted to share this recording of a talk by Dr. Erica Brown delivered through YU's Sacks-Herenstein Center, commemorating the recent 5th yahrzeit of Rabbi Sacks (linked in comments). Brown speaks about her contribution to TRADITION’s special issue on the Intellectual Legacy of Rabbi Sacks, titled “Staying Alive: The Dangers of Leadership.”

20/11/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧: 𝗞𝘂𝗺𝗮 - “Kuma” is a breathtaking, nearly ten-foot illustrated scroll by the late Staff Sgt. Eitan Rosenzweig, displayed at Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, who created it when he was nineteen years old (see link in comments). The artwork weaves together Jungian theories of the unconscious, the mythologist Joseph Campbell’s concept of the heroic journey, and imagery drawn from Western art and Jewish history. Sarah Rindner Blum, says it is a work of art that one must study rather than merely observe.

16/11/2025

𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧: 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 - Rabbi Sacks believed that, out of the science of positive psychology, and in conversation with cognitive behavioral therapy, a new Musar movement could be established. In this episode of the Tradition Podcast (linked in first comment), Tamra Wright and Mordechai Schiffman begin to unpack what this might mean in light of their co-authored essay “Radical Resilience: Hope, Agency and Community,” from TRADITION’s recent special issue on the intellectual legacy of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. They are joined for the conversation by that volume’s co-editor, Samuel Lebens.

15/11/2025

Tradition Today Summit covered in The Jewish Link.

Tradition, the premier journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought, published quarterly by the RCA since 1958, convened its second Tradition Summit at Congregation Rinat Yisrael on Sunday, November 9. Partnering with the Azrieli School of Jewish Education and the administration of Yeshiva University, the day...

13/11/2025

TRADITION is delighted to share this recording of a talk by Dr. Erica Brown delivered through Yeshiva University’s Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership, commemorating the recent 5th yahrzeit of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. Brown speaks about her contribution to TRADITION’s special issue on the Intellectual Legacy of Rabbi Sacks, titled “Staying Alive: The Dangers of Leadership” – open access at:
The essay examines the theme of leadership in a variety of R. Sacks’ works, exploring both his methodology and how to situate his thinking within the broader academic discipline of leadership. R. Sacks focused on how to inspire and motivate lay and professional leaders within the Jewish community. To that end, he distilled his wisdom into seven principles of leadership, which reflected the leadership dilemmas and crises he faced and during his own tenure as Chief Rabbi.

TRADITION is delighted to share this recording of a talk by Dr. Erica Brown delivered through Yeshiva University’s Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Lea...

13/11/2025

This Sunday at Kingsway Jewish Center in Brooklyn: Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman will be giving a shiur based on the TRADITION essay he co-authored with Dr. Tamra Wright for the special issue in honor of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, “Radical Resilience: Hope, Agency & Community in the Thought of Rabbi Sacks.”

13/11/2025

𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘁: 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗽𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 - Who has ownership over this “Unpacking the Iggerot” series – Rabbi Moshe Feinstein or Rabbi Moshe Kurtz (or perhaps TRADITION)? Perhaps none of the above! Is there even such a concept as ownership over Torah or other forms of intellectual property? Read more at link in first comment...

12/11/2025

𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧: 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 - As part of the Tradition Today Summit we hosted a community wide public Keynote Address by Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter on “Historical Realities and Educational Methodologies: Then and Now.” This was the capstone to a daylong closed conference exploring “Educating Our Children to Be Ovdei Hashem in a Modern World: Challenges and Opportunities.” Watch or listen now at link in comments.

11/11/2025

As part of the Tradition Today Summit, held on November 9, 2025, convened by Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Studies and TRADITION’s publisher the Rabbinical Council of America, we hosted a community wide public Keynote Address by Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter on “Historical Realities and Educational Methodologies: Then and Now.” This was the capstone to a daylong closed conference exploring “Educating Our Children to Be Ovdei Hashem in a Modern World: Challenges and Opportunities.”
Evening Keynote Address Program
Greetings: R. Jeffrey Saks, Editor, TRADITION
R. Chaim Strauchler, Rinat Yisrael & TRADITION
R. Menachem Penner, Executive Vice-President, RCA
Lecture: R. Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, Yeshiva University
Respondents: R. Dr. Michael Berger, Dean, Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education
Ms. Miriam Krupka Berger, Associate Principal, Ramaz Upper School
Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey Kobrin, Rosh Yeshiva & Head of School, North Shore Hebrew Academy

View the lecture’s accompanying source packet: https://shorturl.at/UGnFZ
The Tradition Today Summit was hosted at Congregation Rinat Yisrael, in Teaneck, NJ, and supported by Henry and Golda Reena Rothman.

11/11/2025

𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 - On Sunday, 75 Jewish educators, rabbis, lay-leaders, and thought leaders gathered for the second Tradition Today Summit, convened together with the Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education, on “Educating Our Children to Be Ovdei Hashem in a Modern World.” Listen to the opening remarks of the assembly (linked in first comment) with Rabbi Jeffrey Saks (Editor of TRADITION), Rabbi Etan Tokayer (President, RCA), and Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman (President, Yeshiva University).

10/11/2025

𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 & 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 - Last week, marking the 30th anniversary of the assassination of Israel’s Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, all youth movements across Israel joined forces for the first time to unite at Mount Herzl for a joint memorial ceremony. This hopeful display of national unity on the part of Israel’s youth should serve as an example for its adults and its leadership. Among the speakers was Rabbi Tamir Granot, father of Amital z”l, who fell in battle in defense of the land and nation of Israel (link in first comment).