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Adam Louis-Klein

Jun 15, 2025, 11:33 PM

Before Orthodoxy

Jewish tradition has always been more plural, symbolic, and visionary than its later codifiers acknowledged. It’s time we remembered. Contemporary Jewish discourse too often treats tradition as a closed, fixed system—something to be defended by repeating formulas rather than re-examining...

Jun 12, 2025, 8:37 PM

QM. Tomorrow Impacts Today and The Present Impacts the Past

I may sometimes be quoting complicated rules of Jewish law, and the subject of quantum mechanics isn’t simple. Still, if you stick along for the journey, you will come away more knowledgeable in both fields (a brilliant thing), and,...

Adam Louis-Klein

Jun 6, 2025, 5:54 PM

Religious Zionism and its Discontents

It’s hard to overstate how incoherent the ideology of Israel’s religious right has become. Figures like Smotrich and Ben Gvir claim to stand for “tradition”—but what they promote is a bizarre fusion of biblical nationalism, medieval halachic formalism, and...

Ruthie Hollander

Jun 5, 2025, 8:29 PM

When Judaism is uncompromising, it hurts

Ruthie in high school. Photo courtesy of the author.

At the beginning of each school year, we signed a handbook. In it were the guidelines we agreed to live by if we wanted to stay enrolled and out of trouble: No unsupervised internet. No movie theaters. Modest clothing...

Jun 5, 2025, 5:46 PM

The Courage to Engage with the World (Naso, Covenant & Conversation)

As mentioned in a previous Covenant & Conversation, there was an ongoing debate between the Sages as to whether the Nazirite – whose laws are outlined in this week’s Parsha – was to be praised or not. Recall that the Nazirite...

Jun 4, 2025, 4:00 PM

Waves and waves of love: An Orthodox ally at Pride

With Free Parent Hugs, at Jerusalem's Liberty Bell Park, 2024. (courtesy)

I didn't create the tension between Jewish law and the modern LGBTQ community, and I can't resolve it, but I will do all I can to support those navigating it

Jun 4, 2025, 7:44 AM

Forty Years After His Day Off, the Jewish Values of Ferris Bueller

Ferris Bueller’s actual day off was 40 years ago, on June 5, 1985, the day the Chicago Cubs hosted the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field, a scene depicted in the movie. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was a teen comedy released...

Moshe-Mordechai van Zuiden

Jun 3, 2025, 7:14 AM

15 Questions for the Fiftieth Day after Jewish Passover

Answers for Jewish Pentecost Reb Shlomo Carlebach once recommended, 'Don't ruin an outstanding question with an answer.' Asking is often more important than answering. However, I will try to give at least some answers to all the questions here. Why do...

Moshe-Mordechai van Zuiden

Jun 1, 2025, 11:29 AM

Questions for the 50th day after Jewish Passover

Answers for Jewish Pentecost Reb Shlomo Carlebach once recommended, 'Don't ruin an outstanding question with an answer.' Asking is often more important than answering. However, I will try to give at least some answers to all the questions I raise. Why...

Golan Altman-Shafer

May 30, 2025, 12:11 PM

The Siddur Spectrum

For a school project, I did a ground-level evaluation of two Siddurim across the religious spectrum to find any interesting similarities or differences between them. Even though I am relatively knowledgeable about the subject, I learned a surprising number...

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