Rabbinic Literature » Jewish Ideas Daily

Siren Songs

"For your voice is sweet and your appearance pleasant" (Song of Songs 2:14). On the basis of this verse, Jewish law prohibits a man's listening to kol ishah, a woman's voice in song. Unlikely as it may seem, this prohibition has sparked a controversy that could shake the foundations of Israel's self-defense and self-definition.

Kol Ishah Reviewed Yehuda Henkin, Urim Publications. Thirty years ago, Saul Berman wrote an influential and relatively liberal interpretation of the kol ishah prohibition. But there has been an answer. (PDF) SAVE

Sad Sexual Obsessions Eric H. Yoffie, Jerusalem Post. Does the Israeli rabbinate's increasing focus on gender issues have an unattractive psychological component? SAVE

Religion and the IDF Aryeh Tepper, Jewish Ideas Daily. Almost a third of the officers in Israel's army now wear kippot. Is the IDF about to become the long arm of rabbinic law? SAVE

Voice of a Woman Shmuel Rosner, New York Times. If Orthodox Jews believe they are forbidden by law to hear a woman sing, how far should the Israeli military go to facilitate their observance? SAVE

Gender Trouble Yehudah Mirsky, Jewish Ideas Daily. For "Hardalim," the objections to women's singing go beyond modesty and gender separation; they are also a matter of national identity. SAVE

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Jerusalem's Ego and Id

Biography is not the same as history. Biography charts the outer and inner life of a person—character, spirit, morality, emotion, perhaps even soul. History, by contrast, incorporates different narratives and pieces of evidence, seeks out new data, then rises above all the fragments with a synthesis.

Montefiore on Montefiore Todd Leopold, CNN. There have been many reactions to Jerusalem: the Biography. Here, the author responds to the challenge put to him and delivers his own verdict on the book. SAVE

Melisende’s Psalter British Library. Like her ancient predecessor, King David, Queen Melisende commissioned artwork for the Book of Psalms. Now preserved at the British Library, it can be seen online. SAVE

Lord Shaftesbury: God’s Reformer Marena Fisher, Yale Standard. Lord Shaftesbury, the paradigmatic Victorian reformer, dedicated his life to improving the condition of the poor, rehabilitating felons—and restoring the Jews to their homeland. SAVE

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Judaism on Steroids

Ryan Braun, the reigning MVP of baseball's National League, is having a rough offseason. On December 12, ESPN reported that Braun had tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug (PED) after a league-mandated drug test revealed elevated levels of testosterone in his system.

Braun’s Temple Richard Sandomir, New York Times. Why such interest in whether a ballplayer plays a game or worships on a High Holy Day? Call it the Greenberg-Koufax Yom Kippur Precedent. SAVE

The Golden Age of Jewish Ballplayers? David Elfin, Moment. Profiles of Braun, Craig Breslow, Ike Davis, Danny Valencia, and Kevin Youkilis. SAVE

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