Alex Ozar

Abraham Joshua Heschel: The Call of Transcendenceby shai heldindiana, 352 pages, $38.95Few modern theological personalities have been as widely loved as the inimitable Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. It takes a unique soul and a special voice to exhilarate at once Jew and Christian, conservative and . . . . Continue Reading »

Majesty and Humility: The Thought of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik by Reuven Ziegler Urim, 424 pages, $34.95 Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik gave a staggeringly extensive and wide-ranging number of lectures in his life, in addition to teaching his daily Talmud classes at Yeshiva University. His annual . . . . Continue Reading »

Writing for the Atlantic , Alan Jacobs reports some insightful lessons from a study session led by Rabbi Jacob Schachter aimed at formulating a sound religious posture toward the internet. Jacobs was thrown off at first when Rabbi Schacter introduced the session by handing out a three-ring binder . . . . Continue Reading »

Israeli archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel announced earlier this week several findings which may contribute toward a positive case for the veracity of biblical history, in particular the question of whether a centralized Israelite kingdom existed during the era of the biblically purported King David. . . . . Continue Reading »

The State of Israel’s declaration of independence—64 years ago on this day in the Hebrew calendar—was at the time, and has been forever since, a point of impassioned conflict. Even leaving aside the five Arab armies that immediately invaded the country and the substantial . . . . Continue Reading »

According to a recent a recent 3-0 decision from The Appellate Division of New Jersey Superior Court, one needn’t be Jewish to sue for anti-semitic discrimination. The suit in question was brought by a certain Myron Cowher, of German-Irish and Lutheran descent, against Carson and Roberts Site . . . . Continue Reading »

Today, the 27th of Nissan in the Jewish calendar, marks the State of Israel’s official Holocaust Remembrance Day. It’s been seven decades now, but the sheer magnitude of the tragedy still resonates powerfully for Jews both in Israel and across the globe. But the focus is not only on the . . . . Continue Reading »

Writing for Tablet , Simi Lampert recounts her experience first deciding for—and then against—donating her eggs through an agency. She’s charmingly candid about her reasoning in favor: “It seemed like a relatively simple thing to do for the amount I’d be paid. Plus, . . . . Continue Reading »

In preparation for the Passover holiday and its prohibition against leaven bread (Hebrew: “hametz”), Jews spend weeks punctiliously purging their homes of every last crumb of the offending food. Pantries are cleaned, ovens scrubbed, the dark, mysterious regions in between couch cushions . . . . Continue Reading »

We’re excited to announce that First Things will now be offering individual articles for sale on Amazon, in Kindle format. Here’s the link to Reinhard Hutter’s “Pornography and Acedia.” From the product description: With accessible, forceful prose, Duke theology . . . . Continue Reading »