When the Exodus Is Your Story—but Egypt Is Your Homeland
As a Christian, the Exodus is my story of divine liberation and hope. As an Egyptian, it casts my homeland as the oppressor of God’s people—forcing me to wrestle with faith and identity.
In Search of Freedom
In what ways are we still enslaved—and what would real freedom look like today, both personally and collectively?
The Religious Value of Biblical Criticism: My Modern Orthodox Journey
I went from dismissing biblical criticism to embracing its truth, and having to rebuild my religious identity. Five aspects of my religious life have been profoundly enhanced.
Teaching Biblical Scholarship in a Modern Orthodox High School
The personal and educational challenges I faced teaching an introductory course on biblical scholarship to Modern Orthodox high school seniors: What I learned, what my students took home, and some suggestions on how to move forward.
My Encounter with the Firmament
The Torah describes God’s fashioning the firmament (רקיע) on the second day of creation. This piece of the universe, however, doesn’t actually exist—a problem obfuscated in my yeshiva education.
Knowing My Beloved: Rebuilding My Path to Torah with Critical Scholarship
My relationship with Torah began with the romance of mysticism but then gave way to skepticism and disillusionment. To my surprise, it was academic scholarship of the Torah that brought back the spark and helped foster a deeper, more mature relationship.
My Personal Struggle with Unreasonable Belief
Torah Mi-Sinai and other dogmas compelled me to reconsider my place within the Orthodox world.
My Name Is Yoel, I Am a Satmar Hasid and a Bible Critic
Sharing his religious journey into biblical scholarship, a young married Hasidic man challenges the Modern Orthodox world to lead where his community cannot.
