Sunday, October 26, 2008

Essays, Articles, and Reviews

Jewish Text and Tradition
Trees and Their New Year in Rabbinic Judaism
Trees were viewed in both economic and symbolic terms by the Rabbis of Talmudic times.

Feminine Aspects of the Omer
In mystical terms, the Omer is a period of time leading to the unification of the male and female aspects of the Divine.

The Concealed Face of God
A theological explanation for why God is not mentioned in the Book of Esther.

Seder Nashim: The Mishnaic Tractate on Women
Seder Nashim's primary concern is the protection of society's "exceptional" members.

Seder Toharot: The Mishnaic Tractate on Ritual Purities
The Mishnah's laws regarding purity and impurity may seem obscure in modernity, but the concepts give us a glimpse into a world where manifestations of death within life are not sanitized away.

Methods of Midrash
How Midrash gleans deep meaning from the Torah's text.

A Recipe for Telling the Passover Story
Creating a meaningful Passover seder requires as much preparation outside of the kitchen as inside of it.

Art, Culture, and Community
Artneuland: Israeli Art Without Borders
An interview with two founders of the Israeli artists' collective Artneuland.

A Jewish Artists Service Corps: Creating and Sustaining Community
Creating a Jewish Artists Service Corps would transform Jewish communities around the world. Winner of the New Voices.

Jewish Expression and the Arts
A brief description of the Makor Artists-in-Residence program, 2002-05.

South of the Border: Talking Peoplehood with Yossi Abramowitz
An interview with entrepreneur, journalist, and teacher Yossi Abramowitz.

Consumers and Producers: Rethinking the Jewish Cultural Renaissance
Reflections on building upon the energy and knowledge of contemporary Jewish innovation.

Listen to the New Josephs
A call for fusing dreams and planning and veteran and new leadership in the Jewish world.

On Bob Dylan
In Memoriam: Welcome to Bob Dylan' Modern Times
Exploring Bob Dylan's use of ancient memory and epic-telling technique. Presented at the University of Minnesota’s international symposium on Bob Dylan, March 2007. Translated into Italian for Parole Nel Vento, an anthology of twelve classic articles on Bob Dylan edited by Alessandro Carrera.

Religious Life Outside of the Law
Bob Dylan's conceptions of religion and law (Hebrew).

He’s Not There (2007): Talkin’ Bob Dylan Symposium Blues
Reporting from the altars of an international symposium on Bob Dylan.

Hey Judes: Dylan and the Beatles Transformed
A review of Todd Haynes' film I'm Not There.

Jesus, Bob: To Live Outside the Law You Must Be Honest

On Bob Dylan's "Jesus Years"


Bob Dylan: Prophet, Mystic, Poet
On Seth Rogovoy's Book

On Philip Roth
Live By No Man's Code: The Religious Forms of Philip Roth's "Everyman"
Understanding Philip Roth’s religious vision. Winner of the Rockower Jewish Press Award for Jewish Arts and Culture, 2005.

Temporary Like Zuckerman: Philip Roth’s Exit Ghost
A review of Philip Roth's novel Exit Ghost.

Philip Roth's Righteous Indignation
A Review of Philip Roth’s novel Indignation.

On Leonard Cohen
What in the World Are We Longing For?
Leonard Cohen as a Jewish visionary.

Consumers and Producers: Rethinking the Jewish Cultural Renaissance
Empowering Jews to be both consumers and producers of meaningful culture.

Book Reviews
Doctorow Takes on the Creationists
A review essay of Doctorow's essays on the cultural map created by great American writers.

The One That Got Away
A review of Peter Schafer’s Jesus in the Talmud.

We Need the Eggs
A review of Paul Buhle’s Jews and American Popular Culture.

Back to the Future A Review of Zachary Braiterman's The Shape of Revelation: Aesthetics and Modern Jewish Thought

Rock Stars as American Prophets
Greil Marcus says it's musicians, authors, and filmmakers who are perpetuating the idea of Americans as “chosen people.”

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