Will the Palestinian Authority Pay Salaries to Arsonists?
If it does, a few fire trucks seem like an empty gesture.
December 7, 2016
Does a Talmudic Tale Contain a Call for Revolt against Rome?
Rabbi Akiva’s laugh, the fox, and Emperor Hadrian.
In a well-known rabbinic legend, a group of rabbis are walking on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, a city destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans, and see a fox wandering among the ruins of the Temple. They respond with tears—except for Rabbi Akiva, who bursts into laughter. Justifying their sorrow with a biblical verse, they ask Akiva to explain his bizarre behavior; he does so, citing a series of verses of his own. Meir Ben-Shahar offers a novel reading of Akiva’s answer, arguing that it originally served as an immediate call for armed revolt against Roman rule.
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Login or SubscribeDecember 7, 2016
The UN and the Arab States Are Responsible for the Misery in the Shuafat Refugee Camp
Hostages of UNRWA.
How Not to Repeat Past Mistakes on Iran
To the clerical regime, improved relations with the West are an existential threat.
Does a Talmudic Tale Contain a Call for Revolt against Rome?
Rabbi Akiva’s laugh, the fox, and Emperor Hadrian.
Jacob’s Sheep Come to Israel
For the first time in millennia.