A controversial wedding ceremony ca. 1550 sheds important light on the inner rabbinic process, the history of Jewish marriage, and the limits of rabbinic law.

The Cracow Couple and Rama's Remarkable Responsum

The Rebbe Rashab invoked “dechikas haketz” as one reason to be against Zionism. What are the contours of this prohibition? Does it still apply?

The Rebbe Rashab, Zionism, and Expediting the End

At two medieval disputations, a famous Midrash was invoked to argue that Moshiach had already come. The rabbinic approaches to this Midrash unveil different approaches to Talmudic Aggadah.

The Barcelona Disputation: Was Moshiach Born on Tisha B’Av?

Tunisian Jews used to refer to Tanach as Mekashya, but few understood why. Fortunately, illuminated medieval Jewish manuscripts can help solve this mystery, revealing a unique perspective on the study of Tanach.

The Mekashya Mystery

The Rebbe Rashab addressed this issue when confronted with Zionism, and the Rebbe did the same a few decades later after the State of Israel was established.

Does Israel Amount to (the Beginnings of) Kibutz Goliyos?

How have Jewish sages responded when a predicted Messianic time didn’t materialize? Here we focus on this phenomenon within Chabad history.

The Day After: Reacting to Moshiach’s Not Coming in Chabad History

The Talmud tells us to refrain from predicting when Moshiach will come, and Rambam affirms this ruling in his code of law. But Rambam himself, and so many other rabbinic sages, issued messianic predictions. Why?

Predicting the Redemption: What About the Talmudic Prohibition?

The abundance of name calling in some of the Dead Sea Scrolls exposes diverging worldviews about how halachic interpretation should operate.

The Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 3): The Philosophical Dispute

Rabbi Yechiel of Paris was forced to defend the Gemara before a Christian tribunal. Despite his courageous efforts, the Talmud was condemned to the flames.

Paris 1240: Disputation and Devastation

The Dead Sea Scrolls present a sectarian system for measuring time and celebrating the festivals, and it may help us understand an enigmatic line in our Mishnah.

The Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 2): An Alternative Jewish Calendar