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Jewish Thought was a joint project of the Orthodox Union (OU) and Yeshivat Ohr Yerushalayim. This journal was released in Elul 5750.
MIN HARAMATAYIM TZOFIM: Elkana and the Sanctuary of Shiloh
Rabbi Yehoshua Bachrach z”l
The Midrash depicts Elkana as the central figure in the events leading up to the birth of the prophet Shmuel. The author demonstrates how Chazal were attentive to a broader issue that preceded the birth of Shmuel and served as background to it: the abandonment of Shiloh and the overall deterioration that took place during the period of Sefer Shoftim. The opening verses of Sefer Shmuel suggest the transformation wrought by Elkana to reverse this tendency. Properly analyzed through the Midrash, they serve as a key to understanding the period as a whole and Elkana’s role in it.
JUDGMENT ON ROSH HASHANA: Analysis of Content and Process in a Talmudic Aggada
Rabbi Beryl Gershenfeld
The Mishna states that on Rosh Hashana, “all mankind pass before Him like “benei maron.” The expression “benei maron” is sufficiently ambiguous to be expounded in three alternate manners by the Gemara. Based on the commentary of Maharal MiPrague, the author attributes to these interpretations varying perceptions of the judgment of man on Rosh Hashana. In the process, the essay outlines classic approaches to Aggada.
UNMASKING AVRAHAM’S SLAVE: A Midrashic Analysis of Eli’ezer
Rabbi Chaim Eisen
The apparent ambivalence of the Torah’s description of Eliezer, slave of Avraham, is reflected in numerous Midrashic and Talmudic sources, where he is alternately cast as a righteous Torah scholar and as a faithless, accursed slave. By grappling with these divergent sources, the author creates a coherent picture of the man entrusted with perpetuating the spiritual legacy of our forefather Avraham. In doing so, the essay illustrates how seemingly inconsistent and contradictory sources can ultimately prove to be components of the same composite portrait.
SUKKOT AND CHANUKA: Common Threads from Common Themes
Rabbi Gershon Kitzis
Historical accounts, Biblical allusions, Talmudic sources, Midrashic narratives, Halachic dictates and teachings of the Chasidic masters are among the many sources that imply a connection between Sukkot and Chanuka. After exploring these diverse sources, the author suggests philosophical concepts and themes that may provide a basis for the links that abound between the two holidays.
IN DEFENSE OF SHA’UL: The King and the Ba’alath Ov
Rabbi Moshe Ch. Sosevsky
King Shaul’s visit to a necromancer seems to constitute a blatant violation of the Torah’s prohibitions against witchcraft and other forms of divination. The author attempts to establish possible rationales for Shaul’s seemingly unpardonable sin. In the context of defending Shaul, the essay explores the approach of Chazal toward the wrongdoings of personalities in the Bible and the general nature of Biblical narratives.
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