Tradition Journal

04/01/2026

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 - Mark Wildes founded the Manhattan Jewish Experience as a Modern Orthodox kiruv organization. With his recent book, “The Jewish Experience” (Maggid Books) he seeks to share his approach with a new generation of rabbis and seekers. Does Wildes’ style of experiential outreach hold up after two decades? Steven Gotlib reviews the book in light of broader trends in outreach and religious apologetics (↗️ in comments).

01/01/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧: 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲 - Ilana Kurshan (🔗linked in comments) convinces us that the children’s classic “Caps for Sale” by Esphyr Slobodkina is among “The BEST”: Its message delivered at countless bedtimes resonates with our tradition from the Ben Ish Hai to the “mimetic tradition,” and reminds us that the experience of reading to our kids is a sacred mimicry of our parents having read to us, and back through the chain of mesora.

30/12/2025

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗭𝗶𝗼𝗻 - Natan Slifkin’s “The Lions of Zion” (The Biblical Museum of Natural History), unlike many of his earlier writings, eschews internal Jewish polemics and aims to both show how the natural world of the Torah demonstrates the Jewish People’s connection to the Land of Israel and to refute attacks on Israel which use alleged Israeli “sins” against nature. Menachem Kellner (at review linked in first comment 🔗) calls it “highly engaging, often amusing, deeply interesting, and truly important.”

28/12/2025

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗮𝘃 𝗛𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻 - This evening (9 Tevet) marks the fifth yahrzeit of R. Yehuda Herzl Henkin zt”l. Revisit content exploring his legacy published in TRADITION.

This evening (9 Tevet) marks the fifth yahrzeit of R. Yehuda Herzl Henkin zt”l. Revisit content exploring his legacy published in TRADITION.

25/12/2025

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁 - What does a movie about Christian apologist C. S. Lewis’ “conversion” to a life of faith have to teach believing Jews and those who struggle with belief? Apparently quite a lot says David Farkas in this film review (🔗linked in comments).

23/12/2025

𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀: 𝗔 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 - Chaim Strauchler critiques a form of Jewish support for NYC’s mayor elect, describing it as a transactional model of Jewish politics prioritizing narrow communal gain over collective responsibility (⬇️linked in comments). He claims that such politics fragments Jewish advocacy, undermines democratic citizenship, and abandons Israel. Strauchler calls instead for a Zionist-inflected ethic of responsibility to the Jewish people and the American common good.

22/12/2025

Eli Rubin’s “Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity” (Stanford University Press) presents a groundbreaking study of Chabad Hasidism. Through close readings of primary texts, historical analysis, and engagement with modern philosophy, Rubin traces the historical evolution of the movement’s theology. Todd Berman, who recently reviewed the book for TRADITION, held a conversation with Rubin at Jerusalem’s Yeshivat Eretz HaTzvi.

Eli Rubin’s “Kabbalah and the Rupture of Modernity” (Stanford University Press) presents a groundbreaking study of Chabad Hasidism. Through close readings of primary texts, historical analysis, and engagement with modern philosophy, Rubin traces the historical evolution of the movement’s the...

19/12/2025

Hanukka’s requirement of “ner ish u-beyto” makes the candle-lighting mitzva a house-bound one. Avraham Stav (אברהם סתיו), who wrote this dispatch two years ago for his first Hanukka from Gaza, asked how myriad Israeli soldiers dwelling in the field, and those Israelis displaced from their homes, help us reevaluate and expand the meaning of “bayit” as we light our candles.

Hannuka’s requirement of “ner ish u-beyto” makes the candle-lighting mitzva a house-bound one. Avraham Stav, writing from the Gaza border, asks how myriad Israeli soldiers dwelling in the field, and almost as many Israelis displaced from their homes, help us reevaluate and expand the meaning o...

18/12/2025

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗧: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 - Chaim Strauchler profiles Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain” which depicts a world where time, agency, and moral responsibility erode, symbolized by illicit gambling (⬇️ linked in comments). Strauchler suggests that this culture of passivity mirrors today’s rise in youth gambling and reflects a broader loss of faith in cause-and-effect pathways to success. Jewish historical and contemporary parallels, from Haredi lotteries to R. Leon Modena’s Hanukka-season gambling, show how magical thinking emerges when predictable structures falter. Hanukka ultimately calls us back to courageous agency.

15/12/2025

𝗣𝗢𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗦𝗧: 𝗠𝗿𝘀. 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻’𝘀 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗮𝘁 - This week we’ll celebrate Shabbat, Rosh Hodesh, Hanukka—and all readers of TRADITION know what that means: Its Mrs. Cooperman’s Shabbat and a chance to check in with our distinguished editor emeritus, Rabbi Emanuel Feldman. חנוכה שמח and listen at link in comments⤵️....

11/12/2025

𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘁: 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲, 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘁 & 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘁 - You’ve heard of Einstein’s theory of Spacetime Relativity. But have you heard of R. Moshe Feinstein’s approach to the relativity of time? Check out Moshe Kurtz’s breakdown of the unique approach to zmanim that is introduced in the responsa of the Iggerot Moshe (linked in comments).

08/12/2025

𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗮𝘃 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮 - In 1935 a then 22-year-old Moshe Zvi Neria was eyewitness to the only meeting between Rabbi Soloveitchik and Rav Kook. Years later he reminisced with R. Soloveitchik and published a record of those memories. As we mark R. Neria’s 30th yahrzeit today, read Jeffrey Saks’ presentation of that encounter between the Rav and HaRav (🔗linked in comments).