Articles

The articles listed on this page cover a very wide range of topics. Many of the articles are summaries of talks given in Etta Kossowsky Study Groups. All are Torah oriented and reflect personal readings of texts and commentaries. Some articles are in Hebrew, but most of the contributions are in English.

• Articles in English
• Articles in Hebrew
• The Commandments of the Torah as they Apply to Women (English)
• Full list of articles

We have an interesting series of talks given by Rav Duvdevani of Bet Shemesh on 'The Commandments of the Torah as they apply to Women'.

There are two articles from an Etta Kossowsky Study Group which has been studying the 'Shemone Perakim' by Maimonides. The first of these two articles is on chapter 1 of Shemone Perakim: On the Soul and its Powers; Aristotle and Maimonides describe man's Soul. The second article (in Hebrew), Shemone Perakim, by Lori Fagelston, is a brief look at a few of a number of challenging topics raised by the last chapter: questions such as 'free will and determinism'; 'miracles and the natural order', discussed by the study group.

Three of the articles collection are a product of a series of talks given at Etta Kossowsky Study Group meetings on the Amida prayer, the Shemonei Esrei prayer of (originally) eighteen blessings.

• Sanctifying the Sabbath in the Amida Prayers of the Sabbath by Lorie Fagelston
• Personal, Individual and Communal Prayer by Esther Ehrman.
• The Priority of Knowledge by Ronni Suna (dedicated to the memory of Rav Izhak Shlomo ben Hillel and Miriam Chaya bat Shmuel)

Articles in English:

Lori Fagelston:

• Sanctifying the Sabbath in the Amida Prayers of the Sabbath

Ronni Suna:

• The Priority of Knowledge

Devora Segal:

• Introduction to Sefer Yehoshua

Rachel Adelman:

• Breaking the Tablets - Reflections on the First Luhot
• The Etrog and the Tree of Knowledge
• A Voice from the End of the World
• Jacob’s Night Vision and the Foundation Stone of the World

Eli Ehrman:

• Geula and the Three Curses in Gan Eden
• The Divine Gardener
• The Days of the Mashiach and Gan Eden
• Who is a Jew and if so, what is Judaism?
• Why are there Tsunamis in G-D’s Creation?
• The Dispute at the Rock

Esther Ehrman:

• Handing on the Divine Blessing given to Abraham
• Do we have the final say on laws of the Torah? The Midrash learns some answers from the Book of Ruth
• Between Pesach and Shavuot - The First Seven Weeks of the Exodus
• How does Midrash relate to the Text?
• Truth in Historical Narrative
• A Talmudic modification
• Philosophical Truth and Torah Truth in the Kuzari
• Is This Your Judaism? The Jew in Sefer HaKuzari
• Judaism as introduced in the Book of the Kuzari
• Salachti ki devareicha (Shelach Lecha)
• Mount Sinai
• And These Are the Ordinances Which You Shall Set Before Them (mishpatim)
• Angels and Divine Communication (Vayera)
• Leprosy - Crime and Punishment (Metzora Lev.13)
• On the Soul and its Powers
• Ki Tetze: Motivating the mitzvoth – a change of emphasis?
• Personal, Individual and Communal Prayer
• Shavuot Customs
• Yigdal and the Thirteen Principles of Faith
• Preparing for Matan Torah
• Bringing the Omer
• Fire from the Lord
• Sing you barren that you did not bear
• The Four Versions of the Ten Commandment in the Torah
• The credentials for prophets and judges (parashat Shoftim)
• Remember what Amalek did to you… Shabbat Zachor and Purim
• Two Parts of the Covenant – Yithro and Mishpatim
• Kristallnacht, November 9th 1938 - A Torah Response
• Bereishit – Do Some Things Come First?
• That Which is Right

Articles in Hebrew:

Esther Marcus:

• Jeremiah

Lori Fagelston:

• Parshat Truma
• Shemone Perakim

Sara Shpitzer:

• Haftarat Vayerah

Heftsi Rublin:

• Study of Joshua Chapter 10
• Tehillim
• Kuzari Essay 3

Rav Duvdevani of Bet Shemesh:

At the invitation of a group of women, Rav Duvdevani of Bet Shemesh gave a series of talks in Hebrew on The Commandments of the Torah as they Apply to Women. These are summaries of the talks in English:

• The Status of Women in Commandments Linked to A Specific Time
• The Prayer of Hannah
• Kadish Recited by Women
• Women’s Participation in zimun and minyan
• Women and keryat haTorah, the (public) reading of the Torah
• Zimun and Grace after Meals 2
• Women's compositions in Jewish liturgy
• Baruch she patarani and celebrating a bar or bat mitzvah
• Kevod ha tzibur – Respect for the Public
• Women’s obligation in the mitzva of the Chanuka lights
• Listening to a woman’s voice
• Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), Women’s Holiday: Does the custom have sanctity or is it idolatrous?
• Esther. Is History Simply Repeating Itself?

Full list of articles:

1. The Dispute at the Rock
2. That Which is Right
3. The Status of Women in Commandments Linked to A Specific Time
4. The Prayer of Hannah
5. Kadish Recited by Women
6. Bereishit – Do Some Things Come First?
7. Women’s Participation in zimun and minyan
8. Introduction to Sefer Yehoshua
9. Women and keryat haTorah, the (public) reading of the Torah
10. Zimun and Grace after Meals 2
11. Kristallnacht, November 9th 1938 - A Torah Response
12. Women's compositions in Jewish liturgy
13. Baruch she patarani and celebrating a bar or bat mitzvah
14. Kevod ha tzibur – Respect for the Public
15. Women’s obligation in the mitzva of the Chanuka lights
16. Study of Joshua Chapter 10
17. Listening to a woman’s voice
18. Rosh Chodesh (New Moon), Women’s Holiday: Does the custom have sanctity or is it idolatrous?
19. Jacob’s Night Vision and the Foundation Stone of the World
20. Why Are There Tsunamis in G-D’s Creation?
21. Two Parts of the Covenant – Yithro and Mishpatim
22. A Voice from the End of the World
23. Remember what Amalek did to you… Shabbat Zachor and Purim
24. Esther. Is History Simply Repeating Itself?
25. Tehillim
26. The Four Versions of the Ten Commandment in the Torah
27. The credentials for prophets and judges (parashat Shoftim)
28. The Etrog and the Tree of Knowledge
29. Sing you barren that you did not bear
30. Haftarat Vayerah
31. Parshat Truma
32. Breaking the Tablets - Reflections on the First Luhot
33. Fire from the Lord
34. Bringing the Omer
35. Preparing for Matan Torah
36. Yigdal and the Thirteen Principles of Faith
37. Who is a Jew and if so, what is Judaism?
38. Shavuot Customs
39. The Priority of Knowledge
40. Personal, Individual and Communal Prayer
41. Sanctifying the Sabbath in the Amida Prayers of the Sabbath
42. Ki Tetze: Motivating the mitzvoth – a change of emphasis?
43. On the Soul and its Powers
44. Shemone Perakim
45. Jeremiah
46. Leprosy - Crime and Punishment (Metzora Lev.13)
47. Angels and Divine Communication (Vayera)
48. The Days of the Mashiach and Gan Eden
49. And These Are the Ordinances Which You Shall Set Before Them (mishpatim)
50. The Divine Gardener
51. Mount Sinai
52. Salachti ki devareicha (Shelach Lecha)
53. Judaism as introduced in the Book of the Kuzari
54. Is This Your Judaism? The Jew in Sefer HaKuzari
55. Geula and the Three Curses in Gan Eden
56. Philosophical Truth and Torah Truth in the Kuzari
57. Kuzari Essay 3
58. A Talmudic modification
59. Truth in Historical Narrative
60. How does Midrash relate to the Text?
61. Between Pesach and Shavuot- The First Seven Weeks of the Exodus
62. Do we have the final say on laws of the Torah? The Midrash learns some answers from the Book of Ruth
63. Handing on the Divine Blessing given to Abraham