Rabbi Zachary Truboff is the Director of Rabbinic Education for the International Beit Din and the author of Torah Goes Forth From Zion: Essays on the Thought of Rav Kook and Rav Shagar. In the past, he was the director of the English speaking program at Bina L'Itim, a project of Yeshivat Siach Yitzchak. Before making aliyah, he served for nearly a decade as the rabbi of Cedar Sinai Synagogue in Cleveland, Ohio.
The insights of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov and Rav Shagar can help us appreciate the difficulty of escaping from capitalism’s grasp, and the way in which tzedekah can be a profound act of liberation.
Though we often fail to realize it, halakhah is a language that shapes the world of those who speak its words. Both Rav Shagar and Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik are sensitive to this but the difference in their approaches have radical implications for the way
Modern life has often been defined by its need to reject the past in favor of a bold new future. In response, those embodying tradition have reacted in a coercive and authoritarian manner. This tension is at the heart of many of the conflicts
At a time when Rav Kook’s vision of redemption has yet to come to pass, it would be easy to dismiss his teachings as no longer relevant. Nevertheless, Rav Kook’s thought remains prescient, especially regarding the role of imagination and emotion in public life.
A personal reflection about the significance of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov and the meaning of one of his most important teachings.
The past might trap us in limbo, but it can also point us where we need to go. A look at Rav Shagar's drasha for Yom Yerushalayim.