Jewish Thought
Below you will find articles written and published in Jewish Thought- a joint project of the OU and Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim. Click on any link below to download the article as a DOC or PDF. Periodically (e.g. before chagim) this page will be updated and new articles will be available to download. Alumni will be notified when a new article is available.
Now available online: You can purchase past editions of Jewish Thought- either individual editions or the whole set of eight! Simply click here to enter the YOY Online Store. Click on an individual edition to see a synpsis of the articles in that edition. Below you can read various articles on the chagim from Jewish Thought. There is a limited amount of each edition available so check online carefully to see what is still available.
The Shofar's Message: History, Destiny, Eternity by Rav Moshe Ch. Sosevsky
The meaning of each holiday is reflected in its mitzvoth. What does the shofar tell us about Rosh Hashanah? This essay depicts the shofar as the perfect expression of Kingship and Remembrance, the focal points of the day.
"Let Every Living Breath Praise G‑d": The Finale of Sefer Tehillim by Shmuel Grunfeld
The musical instruments that accompanied the festivities of Chol HaMo'ed Sukkoth in the Beith HaMikdash are intrinsic to the joy of that holiday. This essay captures the symbolism of those instruments cited by King David in his finale to Sefer Tehillim and demonstrates why they represent the ultimate praise of G‑d.
"The Glory of This Last House": Purim and Chanukkah as Harbingers of Redemption
by Rav Hershel Schachter
From its inception, the second Beith HaMikdash was doomed; King Shelomoh had prophesied it. His fellow prophets hinted at the spiritual diminution of the second Temple, which lacked many features of the first. Yet these prophets enthused that the second Beith HaMikdash would surpass its predecessor. How did the second-Temple era — with its widespread corruption and lack of Jewish sovereignty — allow for shimmering prophecies? In formulating his answer, the author illuminates the second-Temple prophecies of Chaggai, Zecharyah, and Malachi and explores the Halachic basis of rabbinic holidays.
Haman's Bribe and its Antidote by Aryeh Naiman
According to the Talmud, the shekalim that were contributed by Yisrael to the sanctuary served as an antidote for the shekalim offered by Haman to Achashverosh in exchange for permission to exterminate the Jewish people. The association between the two sums of money appears elusive. In clarifying the Talmud's intent, the author provides insight into the mitzvah of machatzit hashekel and various dimensions of Purim. Through these, the essay presnts an incisive analysis of the Torah's view of the relationship between the individual and the community and its ramifications regarding the Jewish concept of personal responsibility.
Sacred and Profane: Kodesh and Chol in World Perspectives Rav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, z.tz.l.
Delivered as a yahrtzeit shi'ur in memory of R. Soloveitchik's father, this little-known essay may well be the Rav's most important. In developing the concepts of kodesh and chol, the Rav offers a philosophy of slavery and freedom through his understanding of time-consciousness in Judaism.
The Anointment of King David: "Ruddy with Beautiful Eyes" by Yehoshua Bachrach
In the Bible's description of the anointment of King David, difficulties abound. Why does Shemu'el "the seer" initially fail to discern which of Yishai's sons is or is not fit for royalty? Why does Yishai seem to withhold his son David from the prophet? And why — after G‑d's reproach to Shemu'el that "man sees the external appearance, but G‑d sees the heart" — is David introduced with a detailed physical description? Weaving together varied statements by Chazal and later commentators, the author analyzes this glimpse of King David that the Bible offers and its implications for understanding his complex character and singular greatness as G‑d's chosen anointed.
