Tanya White, at The Blogs

Tanya White

Feb 12, 2025, 4:31 PM

At what cost? Healing from internal fissures and failure

An Israeli flag hangs between destroyed houses on Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on November 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)

Zionism is built on the promise of saving Jews from the atrocities they endured in the absence of their own state, even when it isn't militarily prudent

Aug 9, 2024, 4:37 PM

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The newest chapter of the Jewish story is told in song

We have no 'Moshe' to lead us by reframing our experiences, but many uphold our people's mission and contribute to our narrative (Devarim)

Apr 11, 2024, 12:30 PM

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‘The pain is temporary, the pride is eternal’: Remembering Amitai z”l

Our community of 35 families is a microcosm of the country, where every loss is unbearable, and worse when it's one of your own

Jan 5, 2024, 1:33 PM

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The secret weapon of Jewish survival

Miriam dances with the women of Israel. (via YouTube)

When you're overloaded by the world and you still try to fix it, without worrying about yourself, because some things are just that important (Shemot)

Dec 1, 2023, 2:18 PM

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Why the progressive liberal left isn’t sympathetic to Israel’s pain

Yaffa Adar, center, being brought back home to Israel on November 24, 2023. When taken on October 7, she was photographed smiling, causing observers to ask whether she understood what was happening. Her relatives explained that she knew full well, and was defiant. (courtesy)

The Jewish experience has been replete with suffering, but since the time of the biblical Jacob, this people has refused to play victim

Oct 10, 2023, 3:47 PM

People Love Dead Jews – Bad Luck – We are Alive and Kicking

The night my father died suddenly I didn’t want to go to sleep. I cried to my husband saying that while asleep I’ll forget what happened and then when I wake up I’ll have to relive that nightmare moment...

Aug 29, 2023, 12:35 PM

Ki Tavo and Enlistment to the IDF: A Mother’s Perspective

One of my favourite songs from the hit musical Hamilton is “who lives, who dies, who tells your story”. Alexander Hamilton was one of the founding fathers of America, however it was not just the way in which he...

Mar 3, 2023, 12:15 PM

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God is not in the earthquake, but in the still silent voice

A woman crying as she sits atop the rubble of her collapsed house in Yaylakonak village in Adiyaman district, a Kurdish alevi community village where 108 people died and 170 houses collapsed after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck parts of Turkey and Syria, February 19, 2023. (BULENT KILIC / AFP)

The idea that suffering is divine punishment doesn't ring true anymore, but focusing on the pain of another allows for a profound take on the problem of evil

Oct 14, 2022, 2:03 PM

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The enduring message of Kohelet for our transient times

'Cain and Abel Offering Up Sacrifices.' (via Twitter)

When we become aware of how fleeting the breath of existence, we may get angry, as Cain did, or we can come to terms with it, and allow it to elevate us

Apr 27, 2022, 5:27 PM

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Why do bad things happen? It’s time to rethink Holocaust theology

My maternal grandfather, a Holocaust survivor fighting in Israel's War of Independence. (courtesy)

We say 'never again' and cry tears at unimaginable horrors. But are we really moved if we are not shocked out of our theological and religious comfort zones?

About Me

Dr. Tanya White is an educator, thought leader, and writer. She is a senior lecturer at Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Learning and teaches Jewish philosophy at Bar-Ilan University. She is also the founder and host of Books and Beyond: The Rabbi Sacks Podcast and publishes a weekly Torah blog at www.tanyawhite.org

Contact Me