History

Drafting Jewish Soldiers in Tanach

What can we learn about Jewish armies and Jewish military drafts from Tanach?

Jun 15 • Boruch Clinton

When Did Prophecy Stop?

And what's currently available in its place?

Apr 26 • Boruch Clinton

Yeridas Hadoros: Are We Really Getting Dumber?

There’s a near-universal assumption in the frum world that the quality of Jewish intellectual and spiritual life is subject to ongoing decline.

Apr 16 • Boruch Clinton

Have (Halachic) Coins Always Existed?

When describing how the money used to redeem maaser sheni produce should be treated, the Torah (Devarim 14:25) requires:

Apr 12 • Boruch Clinton

Squaring the Kabbala vs Halacha Circle

Is questioning Zohar's authenticity compatible with the historical halachic process?

Apr 5 • Boruch Clinton

We are living in amazing times.

Feb 8 • Boruch Clinton

R' Hirsch: Decluttering Midrash

Modern kabbalists seem to enjoy using ambiguous statements from Tanach or Chazal to strengthen their theological or ideological positions.

Jan 20 • Boruch Clinton

What Is a Kingdom...and Why?

In different contexts, both Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (Essays on Ethics: Parashas Shemos) and Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik (in The Free Press) have noted the…

Jan 11 • Boruch Clinton

When Did We All Start Ignoring the "Sealing of the Talmud"?

It’s popularly understood that the completion of the Talmud around 1,500 years ago marked a critical transition in halachic history.

Jan 4 • Boruch Clinton

When Memory Is Your Mesorah's Weakest Link

Years ago, I would frequently share one of my favorite pieces from R’ Hirsch which concerned the first meeting between Lavan and Avraham’s slave…

Nov 1, 2025 • Boruch Clinton

Rabbi Hirsch on Losing the Battles You've Won

The novelist Michael Crichton was supposed to have observed that activists are never useful for more than ten years or so.

Aug 18, 2025 • Boruch Clinton

[repost] What Are We Supposed To Be Doing on Tisha B'Av?

We all know the things we can’t do on Tisha B’Av.

Aug 3, 2025 • Boruch Clinton

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