With Rosh Hashanah in our minds and hearts, we are pleased to share new articles for the holiday by David Hartman and Donniel Hartman, as well as additional articles from our scholars.
Rabbi Dr. David Hartman
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David Hartman illuminates the significance of Rosh Hashanah through an analysis of the Akeidah:
Two of the most important biblical stories we revisit every Rosh Hashana are the binding of Isaac (known in the Hebrew parlance as the Akeida), and Abraham’s argument with God regarding the fate of the inhabitants of Sedom. These two accounts represent two different religious anthropologies: one of sacrificial self-surrender, and one of assertive moral challenge.
Read “The Akeidah”: A Window into God’s Humanity and Our Own
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Connecting events of today with the timeless relevance of Rosh Hashanah, Donniel Hartman gives a perspective of tshuva (repentance) in relation to Middle East politics in Tshuva as the Foundation for the Renewed Israeli-Palestinian Discourse.
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On a lighter note, Stuart Schoffman writes about the tumult of Jerusalem in the tourist season–and the city’s venerable history as a tourist destination, as chronicled by American literary giants Herman Melville and Mark Twain. Read Jerusalem Travel Sets the Mind Spinning.
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In Seder Rosh Hashanah: Special Foods and New Year Wishes, SHI fellow Noam Zion details the various edible peculiarities that have been customary on Rosh Hashanah throughout history, and their deeper significance.
The Shalom Hartman Institute wishes all of our readers a happy, healthy, and a sweet New Year!
