Jewish Quest

Send us Fan Mail Dr Malka Simkovich asks whether Avraham is the great circumcisor or in fact the great un-circumcisor of Jewish history.  Dr. Malka Z. Simkovich is the Crown-Ryan Chair of Jewish Studies and the director of the Catholic-Jewish Studies program at CTU. She is the author of The Making of Jewish Universalism: From Exile to Alexandria (2016), and Discovering Second Temple Literature: Th...

Send us Fan Mail Professor Edward Greenstein outlines the Tower of Babel story as indicating the limitation of one language to convey the sense of another.  Professor Edward Greenstein is Professor Emeritus of Bible at Bar-Ilan University. He received the Emet Prize in Humanities-Biblical Studies for 2020, and his book, Job: A New Translation, won the acclaim of the American Library Association, t...

Send us Fan Mail Professor Menachem Kellner asks why the Torah begins with the account of creation and discusses the nature and purpose of Torah according to Rashi and Maimonides.  Menachem Kellner is a scholar of medieval Jewish philosophy  with a particular focus on the philosophy of Maimonides. He is a retired Professor of Jewish Thought at the University of Haifa and is the founding chair of t...

Send us Fan Mail Avraham Leader discusses some of the important themes for this auspicious time of year as seen from the perspective of the Zohar and the Lurianic writings.  Avraham Leader is an internationally acclaimed teacher of various schools of Kabbalah, a founder of Jerusalem's Leader Minyan, and chairman of the Wuste Tzega Center for Culturally Adapted Psychotherapy . He has published...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. David Lambert is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) where he teaches Hebrew Bible. He received his Ph. D., M.A., and A.B. from Harvard University’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He is the author of How Repentance Became Biblical: Judaism, Christianity, and the Interpretation of Scripture.

Send us Fan Mail Dr Joy Ladin discusses how we should dress without drawing the abhorrence of God.  Joy Ladin is an American poet and the former David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at  Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University. She was the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish institution. She is the author of twelve books, including the National Jewish Book Award winn...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Elihayu Jian discusses the connection between Shoftim and the month of Elul, drawing on important kabbalistic teaching from Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Sfat Emet and the Zohar. Rabbi Eliyahu Jian is a global thought leader, transformational life and business coach, spiritual coach, relationship coach, author and motivational speaker. He has been transforming thousands of lives ar...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi David Frankel asks whether Moses or God is the commanding voice in the second paragraph of the Shema.  David Frankel is Associate Professor of Bible at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. He has been on the faculty since 1992. He earned his PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the direction of Prof. Moshe Weinfeld. His publications include “The Murmuring...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Cassi Kail asks whether zealotry can ever be condoned Rabbi Cassi Kail is Rabbi of Temple Beth El in San Pedro, California. She was ordained in 2011 from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she also received a Master’s in Jewish Literature. For the past seven years, she worked as a congregational rabbi for Temple Emanu-El of Utica, NY and then Temple...

Send us Fan Mail Dr Ethan Schwartz discusses the character of Balaam.  Dr. Ethan Schwartz holds a Ph. D. in Hebrew Bible from Harvard University. He received his B.A. in philosophy and Jewish studies from the University of Chicago and his M.A. in Hebrew Bible from the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Nelly Altenburger became the new spiritual leader of Congregation Adath Israel in Middletown in the summer of 2020. Rabbi Altenburger was born and raised in Brazil and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hebrew Language and Literature from the University of Sao Paulo. She received a Master of Arts in Rabbinic Studies in 2004 from the Zeigler School of Rabbinic studies an...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Francis Nataf is a Jerusalem based thinker, writer, and educator. He is the author of the Redeeming Relevance in the Torah series and of many articles on religious thought, biblical studies, and current events and is Associate Editor of the Jewish Bible Quarterly. He is known for his independent thought and creativity that simultaneously puts him to the right and to the left...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Alex Goldberg is a barrister, chaplain, and human rights activist. He is currently the Dean of the College of Chaplains and Coordinating Chaplain at the University of Surrey. He is the only rabbi within this role in Europe. He is currently working on a number of international and UK-based community relations and community development projects and is the Jewish chaplain to th...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Gershuny explores the meaning and power of the Priestly Blessing.  Rabbi Sarah Bracha Gershuny is a writer, ritualist, musician, healer and teacher. Originally from the UK, she currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, where from 2014-2020 she was the rabbi of Nevei Kodesh, a Jewish Renewal congregation. Rabbi Gershuny has received two ordinations: one as a Rabbi from Boston’s t...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Alex Kress discusses what it means to be a desert people and some of the central themes of the Book of Bamidbar. Rabbi Alex Kress serves Beth Shir Shalom in Santa Monica. He is passionate about innovating Jewish practice and making Judaism fun and meaningful. Born and raised in Philadelphia,  in 2012, he graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Stud...

Send us Fan Mail Jeremy Tabick discusses the relevance of the Shmita and the Yovel for the world today.  Jeremy Tabick is the Content Manager and faculty at Hadar, where he teaches, curates, and edits Hadar’s content—both online and in print—and Project Zug courses. Jeremy is also pursuing a PhD in Talmud at JTS. He graduated from the University of Manchester (in the UK) with a Masters in Physics,...

Send us Fan Mail Dr Abigail Uhrman discusses holiness as being found between the polarities of separation and engagement.  Abigail Uhrman is an assistant professor of Jewish education in the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She works extensively with The Davidson School’s Research Center and teaches courses in pedagogic skills, curriculum, an...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Steven Greenberg received his B.A. in philosophy from Yeshiva University and his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He served as a Senior Teaching Fellow at CLAL (National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership), a think tank, leadership training institute, and resource center in New York City for over twenty years from 1986 to 2010. Ste...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Professor Rachel Adelman considers the anthropological function of skin and Leviticus' concern with boundaries.  Rabbi Professor Rachel Adelman is Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Boston’s Hebrew College. She holds a Ph. D. in Hebrew Literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and is the author of The Return of the Repressed: Pirqe de-Rabbi Eliezer and the...

Send us Fan Mail Professor Edward Greenstein discusses the incident of Nadav and Avihu and asks whether it says more about a mysterious transgression or a mysterious Deity.  Professor Edward Greenstein is Professor Emeritus of Bible at Bar-Ilan University. He received the EMET Prize (“Israel’s Nobel”) in Humanities-Biblical Studies for 2020, and his book, Job: A New Translation (Yale University Pr...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Tzemah Yoreh explores the original history of the Exodus narrative; one without God as master of the story.  Rabbi Dr. Tzemah Yoreh, leader of The City Congregation, is one of the intellectual leaders of Jewish humanism. He has been a student of the Bible since his earliest days, winning the Diaspora Division of the International Bible Contest in childhood. He attended the H...

Send us Fan Mail Robert A. Harris is professor of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages at The Jewish Theological Seminary, teaching courses in biblical literature and commentary, particularly medieval Jewish biblical exegesis. Dr. Harris is an expert in the history of medieval biblical exegesis. His most recent book is Rabbi Eliezer of Beaugency: Commentaries on Amos, Jonah (with Selections from Is...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Sam Blustin explores the inner meaning of sacrifices today.  While in Rabbinical School, Rabbi Sam Blustin created Shira B’dira, a traditional egalitarian prayer community where melody is used to uplift the prayer experience. The monthly minyan gathers 25-50 20 and 30 year olds for prayer and potluck dinner, and has reached over 500 young professionals in the four years sinc...

Send us Fan Mail Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffat shares the innovations in the book of Vayikra and how we might read it for our times.  Adam Zagoria-Moffet is the rabbi of St. Albans Masorti Synagogue. He was ordained from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York where he also received an MA in Jewish Thought, studying the political philosophy of Rabbi Yehudah Ashlag (Ba’al haSulam). He grew up in Ph...

Send us Fan Mail Dr Naomi Koltun-Fromm discusses the differences between the Mishkan and the Temple.  Dr. Naomi Koltun-Fromm is Associate Professor of Religion in Haverford College. She holds an M.A. and Ph. D. in Jewish Studies from Stanford. She is the author of Hermeneutics of Holiness: Ancient Jewish and Christian Notions of Sexuality and Religious Community.