Abraham and the Art of Judgment This is the first post in my new Substack! Read and subscribe here: https://reasonablejudaism.substack.com/p/abraham-and-the-art-of-judgment In an age of instant outrage, it helps to remember that God paused before destroying Sodom. Before the city burns, He asks: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about
“A Movement, Not a Party” Rabbi Norman Lamm’s Call for the Renewal of Mizrachi [originally published in Hamizrachi Magazine] This essay, exploring Rabbi Norman Lamm’s deep relationship with the Mizrachi movement, is occasioned by the launch of the new Rabbi Lamm Digital Archive at lammlegacy.org – an online library of more than 5,500 curated documents that shed new light on his leadership,
The American who might have been Chief Rabbi Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle, https://www.thejc.com/judaism/the-american-who-might-have-been-chief-rabbi-esjjhudj. The launch of a new website dedicated to the legacy of Rabbi Dr Norman Lamm (1927–2020) invites us to recall the deep and sometimes unexpected bonds between this American rabbinic giant and the Jewish community of Britain.
Rabbi Lamm and Rabbi Gifter Many know the headline-grabbing “Gifter slaughters Lamm for Passover” speech from 1988. But the archives now show that Rav Gifter and Rabbi Lamm’s relationship went back at least three decades. I joined Rabbi Moshe Kurtz’s podcast to share the newly revealed correspondences revealing more context for the episode.
Preserving Rabbi Lamm’s Legacy: Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky on the Digital Archive I had a great, wide-ranging conversation with Moshe Kinderlehrer of The Jewish Link on the launch of the new archives. We talked about why he prints out Rabbi Lamm’s “Sermon of the Week” every Shabbat, his memories of Rabbi Lamm’s legendary dorm talks when he was an undergrad,
Preserving the Legacy of Rabbi Norman Lamm Originally published at https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/features/preserving-the-legacy-of-rabbi-norman-lamm/2025/09/15/. Conversation with Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Sinensky on the Launch of the Rabbi Norman Lamm Archives Q: What inspired the creation of the Rabbi Norman Lamm Archives, and why now? A: Rabbi Lamm kept almost everything. When we
R. Lamm and the Founding of TRADITION Original published at https://traditiononline.org/r-lamm-and-the-founding-of-tradition/. This essay appears on the occasion of the launch of the Lamm Legacy Library, a dramatic expansion of the earlier site that held only about 800 sermons. It now offers more than 4,700 additional items from Rabbi Norman Lamm’s personal archive—
Outrage Feels Righteous – But Organizing Gets Results Outrage Feels Righteous – But Organizing Gets Results In recent days, several rabbis and Jewish leaders have expressed deep anguish over the public support that Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is receiving from segments of the Jewish community, including rabbis. It’s not hard to see why. Mamdani has minimized or
Reading Hard Texts in Hard Times: Retribution and Self-Defense in Megillat Esther Reading Hard Texts in Hard Times: Retribution and Self-Defense in Megillat Esther | The LehrhausHow should people contend with emotionally charged texts such as the ending of Megillat Esther? Tzvi Sinensky details methodological principles for engaging in textual dialogue, and applies these principles in an exploration of the nuances of the
Rediscovering Rabbi Norman Lamm, The Lamdan Rediscovering Rabbi Norman Lamm, The LamdanA hallmark of Rabbi Lamm’s scholarship was his synthesis of halacha and aggadah. For Rabbi Lamm, these were not separate spheres but complementary dimensions of a unified Torah.The Jewish PressRabbi Dr. Tzvi Sinensky Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, zt”l, is widely recognized as
Accepting the Torah in the Shadow of War Delivered at Congregation Agudath Sholom, Stamford, CT, Shavuot 5784 The giving of the Torah seems to have come at a strange time. Consider everything the Jewish people had been through over the previous 50 days. After slaughtering Egyptian sheep-gods, the Jewish people were summoned to leave their home country for
How Moshe and the Tik Tok Generation Grew Up and Became Jewish Heroes Countless Israelis have remarked on the bravery and leadership demonstrated by the soldiers currently serving in Gaza. Since October 7, the rise of a new generation of heroes has offered a glimmer of hope for the future of Israel beyond the current war and political impasse. How did this “Tik
The Vulgarity of the United Nations – and Hanukkah’s Hellenists As we celebrate Hanukkah, the United Nations predictably excoriates Israel and downplays Hamas’ evil at every step. But beyond the recent US veto at the Security Council, Israel itself has begun to turn the tables. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Ergan have demanded
The Front Lines Shabbat Morning Derasha Young Israel Talmud Torah of Flatbush 20 Cheshvan 5784 November 4, 2023 Rabbi Yoni Rosensweig, a colleague in Israel, recently wrote as follows: “My daughter told me today, she feels so pointless, there is nothing she can do to help the situation, she has no strength to
Chazak VeNitchazak As we brace ourselves for an impossibly anxiety-ridden Shabbat, I am inspired by recalling the origin of the popular wartime greeting Chazak venitchazak, Let us be strong and let us be strengthened together, with which many have the practice to conclude and, as we will do this week, begin reading
Rabbi Lamm, Sukkot, and the Spiritual Perils of Materialism The rise of materialism in the Orthodox community has become an urgent topic of discussion. Tradition recently dedicated a full-day summit to the subject. Rabbi Jeremy Wieder’s “Kosher Money” podcast, in which he expressed grave concerns about levels of Orthodox consumption and exhibitionism, went viral. Yeshiva University’s most
Refined Rebukes: The High Holiday Sermons of Rabbi Norman Lamm Streams of congregants, unbelievable as it sounds today, flocked to shul on Shabbatot simply to hear the sermons of Rabbi Norman Lamm. They remain exceedingly popular, including talks he delivered as young as twenty-four. They were ingenious, exquisitely crafted, and, though they were delivered from 1951–1976, remain uncannily germane
Reading Rabbi Jonathan Sacks Reading Rabbi Sacks Perhaps the greatest rabbinic communicator of our era, the late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt”l remains one of the most popular Torah authors in the world today. Hundreds of thousands have devoured his books and essays. His books have been translated into a dozen languages. We
The Man’s Seder Originally published on Tradition Online. What’s happening? A March 26, 2015 article in the Wall Street Journal detailed the fifth annual “Guys Night Out and Seder Summit” at Congregation Beth Sholom in Potomac, MD. The event “drew nearly 500 men who came to sample 900 pounds of kosher ribs
How and When to Remember Rav Druckman In the days since Rav Druckman’s passing, there has been intense debate as to whether remembrances in the immediate aftermath of his death should mention his mishandling of the abuse charges against Zev Kopilevich and his championing and attempts to rehabilitate Moti Elon. Some argue that we do not
The Mystery of Mashiach ben Yosef Originally appeared in Yeshiva University's Mitokh ha'Ohel on the haftarot in November 2011. In general, the topic of Yemot Ha-Mashiach is shrouded in mystery, so much so that Rambam famously cautioned against excessive messianic speculation. This is particularly true with respect to Mashiach ben Yosef, whose
Modern Orthodoxy And Morality: In Response To Ben Shapiro Modern Orthodoxy And Morality: In Response To Ben ShapiroThis is a false choice. We must be forthright and confident in articulating our values, but we should also avoid being needlessly antagonistic, intellectually dishonest, or uncharitable in our interprThe Jewish PressRabbi Dr. Tzvi Sinensky In his recent op-ed in The Jewish
Was Yosef the First Biblical Adolescent? In using the word na’ar to describe the ill reports Yosef delivered to his father, does the Torah depict Yosef as the first biblical teen? If we pose the problem literally, the answer is obviously yes. Yosef was, after all, 17 years old. But our question runs deeper: did
Overcoming our Angels and Demons What was Yaakov’s wrestling match with the angel all about? A number of points jump out in the narrative: the timing, shortly after escaping Lavan and immediately before encountering Esav. His loneliness: ויותר יעקב לבדו. The significance of darkness and dawn. The meaning of his divine interlocutor’s blessing:
Do real Jewish men cry? Do real Jewish men cry? If we cursorily examine Tanakh, the answer comes back loud and clear: yes. The verb בכה, cry, appears 116 times in Tanakh. Avraham, Yaakov, Esav, Yosef, the Egyptian people, the Jewish people, David, Yehonatan, Elisha, Chizkiyahu, Yirmiyahu, Ezra, and Nechemia all cry. These cries represent
