OU Accelerator Wide

Yeshiva University's Center for the Jewish Future and Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary presents

Individual Articles download
  • Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman: "Introduction: A Purim Filled with Life, Loss and Love"
  • Table Talk: Quotes and Questions for Family Discussions: Prepared by Shoshana Rockoff and Netanel Muskat
  • Rabbi Elchanan Adler: "When Ignorance Is Bliss: The Antinomianism of Purim and Shiras Haazinu"
  • Dr. Erica Brown: "There Once Was A Man: Singularity and Solitude in Megillat Esther"
  • Excerpts from Batei Yosef A RIETS Press Publication
  • Insights into the Personalities of the Megillah From Members Of Stern College's Graduate Program In Advanced Talmud/Tanach Studies, Leora (Moskowitz) Orenshein, Neti Linzer, Jordy Gross, Sara Schatz and Zahava Fertig
  • Rabbi Norman Lamm zt"l: "The Royal Insomnia"
  • Devorah Schreier: "Serenity, Faith, and Happiness"
    • Individual Articles download
  • Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman: "Introduction: Torat Zion: On the Value of Victory in Exile"
  • Rabbi Eliezer Barany: "Megillah Minhagim"
  • Ms. Sydney Daitch: "Setting the Stage for Salvation"
  • Rabbi Daniel Fridman: "Esther as Paragon of Spiritual Resistance: Rav Lichtenstein's Reading of Esther Reconsidered"
  • Mrs. Mimi Fuchs: "Mordechai and Haman: A Match That Makes Scents"
  • Mrs. Elana Katz: "Haman's Fight for Esav's Legacy"
  • Rabbi Yair Menchel: "Coincidence? I Think Not: The Lesson of Amalek"
  • Rabbi Mayer Simcha Stromer: "Moshe Rabbeinu and Purim: Always Yearning for More"
  • Rabbi Shlomo Wadler, PhD: "Overlooking Ezra: Reaccepting the Torah in Megillat Esther"
  • Rabbi Elie Weissman: "Sinah and Ahava Lishma"
  • Rabbi Ezra Wiener: "Should I Take the Day Off from Work? The Nature of the Melacha Prohibition on Purim"
    • Individual Articles download
  • Mrs. Rivka Alter: "The Dual Nature of the Purim Miracle"
  • Mrs. Rikki Ash: "The Secret Sauce of a Tzaddik"
  • Rabbi Yonasan Gersten: "The Nature of the Mitzvah to Read the Megillah"
  • Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot: "Amalek, the Kingship of Saul and the Kingship of God"
  • Rabbi Yaakov Jaffe: "Why Would Mordechai Recite the Psalm for Chanukah?"
  • Rabbi Josh Maslow: "Purim with the Slonimer Rebbe: A Path to Perfection"
  • Rabbi Elliot Schrier: "Celebrating Partial Triumph"
  • Rabbi Mayer Simcha Stromer: "Education Through Inspiration, Not Intimidation"
  • Rabbi Zvi Zimmerman: "Achashveirosh's Beauty Paegant: What is True Beauty?"
    • Individual Articles download
  • Rabbi Yaakov Glasser: "Purim: A Reenactment of Sinai"
  • Rabbi Chaim Jachter: "Pointing a Finger at Achashveirosh"
  • Ms. Victoria Chabot: "Royally Insecure"
  • Rabbi Yaacov Feit: "Coins Of Kapparah"
  • Rabbi David Block: "The Subtlety of Silence: Understanding Mordechai's Motivational Charge"
  • Ms. Diane Kolatch: "The Great Gatsby and Purim"
  • Ms. Adina Borg Blaustein: "Grand Dress and Delusions of Grandeur in Megillat Esther"
  • Rabbi Yosef Kurtz: "Megillas Achdus"
  • Rabbi Kenny Schiowitz: "The Megilah Times"
  • Rabbi Chaim Lanner: "A Hallel By Any Other Name: The Omission of Hallel on Purim"
  • Rabbi Noah Sonenberg: "Purim: The Holiday Where We Celebrate Accepting the Torah?"
    • Individual Articles download
  • Rabbi Yaakov Glasser: "Recognizing Hashem's Hand In Our Lives"
  • Mrs. Rachel Besser: "Kiymu V’Kiblu"
  • Rabbi Dov Emerson: "Simchat Purim: Fake it ‘Till You Make it"
  • Rabbi Joseph Blumenthal: "A Significant Lesson from the Oddest of Sources"
  • Rabbi Daniel Grama: "Our Role in the Purim Miracle: Then and Now"
  • Mrs. Bracha Rutner: "Jewish Unity"
  • Rabbi Menachem Rosenbaum and Rabbi Yitzchak Sprung: "Memuchan is Haman: A Cautionary Tale"
  • Rabbi Noam Stein: "Purim Jokes and Shpiels"
    • Individual Articles download
  • Rabbi Yaakov Glasser: "Introduction"
  • Rabbi Eliyahu Alpert: "The Winning Ticket"
  • Rabbi Yehuda Balsam: "Accepting the Torah through Hidden Miracles"
  • Rabbi Donny Besser: "Amalek and the Stunning Power of Spiritual Genetics"
  • Rabbi Yehuda Chanales: "Menucha V'Simcha Ohr LaYehudim: Commemorating Shabbos & Amalek"
  • Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom: "Mordekhai, Son of Yair"
  • Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot: "Purim: From the Grassroots Up"
  • Rabbi Allan Houben: "Purim: It's More than Meets the Eye"
  • Rabbi Moshe Hubner: "Assemble the Jews: Assimilation is not an Option"
  • Mrs. Ora Lee Kanner: "Disconnection and Connection in Binyamin and Esther"
  • Rabbi Effie Kleinberg: "Those Who Bowed Down Were No Better Off"
  • Rabbi Aaron Levitt: "Uncovering Our Hidden Greatness"
  • Rabbi David Nachbar: "Turning the Ordinary into the Extraordinary: The Status of Yom Purim in Rambam's Mishneh Torah"
  • Rabbi Benjy Owen: "Shoshanat Ya'akov: Seeing Mordechai through Rose-Colored Glasses"
  • Ms. Sarah Robinson: "Kriyat Megillat Esther with Its Te'amim"
  • Rabbi Kenneth Schiowitz: "The Dawn of Jewish History"
  • Rabbi Moshe Schochet: "Purim: A Recommitment to Torah Sheba'al Peh"
  • Mrs. Atara Segal: "The Space Between Us: The Role of Place in the Purim Story"
  • Rabbi Sandy Shulkes: "The Hidden Meaning"
  • Rabbi Elon Soniker: "Purim: Finding Meaning and Passion in Our Mitzvos"
  • Rabbi Aryeh Stechler: "Video Conferencing the Megillah"
  • Rabbi Joshua Strulowitz: "How the Mitzvot of Purim Unmask Us"
  • Rabbi Meir Tannenbaum: "Living in a Walled City"
  • Rabbi Zacharia Weitz: "Loshon Hara You’ve Got to Hear"
    • Individual Articles download
  • Rabbi Yaakov Glasser: "The Menahel and the Manhig: Two Models of Leadership"
  • Rabbi Menachem Penner: "Open to Embracing Jews; Open to Embracing the Mesorah"
  • Rabbi Joshua Flug: "A Walking Sefer Torah"
  • Deena Rabinovich, EdD: "The Role of Vashti in the Purim Story"

    • From the Musmakhim in Chag Hasemikhah 2017/5777
  • Rabbi David Block: "Esther and Bas Paraoh: Reaching for What is Out of Reach"
  • Rabbi Tuvia Brander: "Our Hamantaschen's Forgotten Meaning"
  • Rabbi Michael Weingarten: "Self-Nullification through Inebriation"
  • Rabbi Dani Zuckerman: "Purim: The Simcha of Satiation"
    • Individual Articles download
  • Rabbi Eli Belizon: "Tick Tock the Purim Clock"
  • Rabbi Dr. David Horwitz: "Sefer and Iggeret: The Dual Nature of Megillat Esther"
  • Rabbi Jonathan Schachter: "What's in a name? A "LOT"!!!"
  • Rabbi Robert Shur: "Selected Comments of the K'tav Sofer to Megillat Esther"
  • Ms. Eliana Sohn: "The Vilna Gaon's Purim Blessing"
  • Rabbi Michoel Zylberman: "The Converts of Shushan"

    • Individual Articles download

  • Rabbi Hyman Arbesfeld: A Tribute to Herb Smilowitz
  • Rabbi Yosef Blau: "Mordechai and Esther: The Evolution of a Relationship"
  • Dr. Lisa Fredman: "Amalek and Yitro: What's the connection?"
  • Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein: "The Meaning of Ta'anit Esther"
  • Rabbi Menachem Penner: "The Origin of Mishloach Manot"
  • Rabbi Mark Smilowitz: "The Meaning of Mishlo'ach Manot"
  • Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler: "The Intrigue Behind Mordechai's Approval Rating"

    • Individual Articles download

  • Rabbi Kenneth Brander: Foreword
  • Rabbi Menachem Penner: Introduction
  • Rabbi Hershel Schachter: "Semikhah: Then and Now"
  • Rabbi Dr. David Horwitz: "The Semikhah Controversy of the 1500's"
  • Rabbi Yosef Bronstein: "Rav Kook's Purim"
  • Rabbi Noah Cheses: "The King's Party and the Human Appetite for Control"
  • Rabbi Reuven Garrett: "Hope Amidst Despair"
  • Rabbi Chesky Gewirtz: "What It Means To Be a Jew"
  • Rabbi Yosef Sharbat: "Purim Masquerade: Unmasking the Origins"
  • Rabbi Jeremy Stern: "Taanit Esther: Giving Voice to Silenced Women"

    • Individual Articles download

  • Rabbi Kenneth Brander: "Introduction"
  • Mrs. Nechama Price: "Secret Identities"
  • Rabbi Ian Shaffer: "Esther Hamalkah: The key to unlocking another layer of the Purim story"
  • Rabbi Dr. Moshe D. Tendler: "Genetics and Epigenetics in the Purim Miracle"
  • Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Weinberg: "Maintaining Peace of Mind in a High Speed World"
  • Collected Insights from members of the Masters of Arts in Biblical and Talmudic Interpretation program at Stern College for Women

    • Individual Articles download

  • Rabbi Yosef Blau: "Remembering Purim During the Messianic Age"
  • Rabbi Joshua Flug: "The Relationship between Mishlo'ach Manot and Matanot La'Evyonim"
  • Rabbi Ozer Glickman: "Purim and the 'Randomness' of Life"
  • Dr. Shalom E. Holtz: "Whose Battle? Whose Victory?"
  • Mrs. Shoshana Schechter: "Purim – Fulfilling Jewish Destiny"
  • Rabbi Mordechai Torczyner: "The Joy of Giving"
  • Collected Insights from members of the Masters of Arts in Biblical and Talmudic Interpretation program at Stern College for Women



    • Individual Articles download

  • Rabbi Yona Reiss: "Ad De'lo Yada: An Elucidation of the Notion of Intoxication on Purim"
  • Rabbi Mordechai Willig: "When is a Bar Mitzvah in a Leap Year?"
  • Rabbi Simon Basalely: "Seudat Purim"
  • Rabbi Reuven Brand: "A Life of Giving"
  • Rabbi Jonathan Cohen: "The Halachah of History: Ancient Cities and the Date of Purim"
  • Rabbi Joshua Flug: "Why Don't We Recite Hallel on Purim?"
  • Rabbi David Hellman: "The Meaning of Myrtles: Understanding Esther's Other Name"
  • Rabbi Aaron Kraft: "The Man-Made Holiday"
  • Rabbi Yoni Levin: "Making Scents of Purim"
  • Rabbi Moti Neuburger: "Purim: Out of Control"
  • Rabbi Etan Schnall: "A Tale of Two Cities? Shushan Purim in Modern-day Yerushalayim"
    Download Google Earth Map Relating to Article
  • Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky: "Purim: The Other Day of Rest"
  • Rabbi Moshe Stavsky: "The Machatzit HaShekel and Selfless Giving"
  • Rabbi Yehuda Turetsky: "Hester Panim: Between Exile and Redemption"



    • Individual Articles download

  • Rabbi Norman Lamm: "Neither Here Nor There"
  • Rabbi Haskel Lookstein: "How Should Jews Party?"
  • Rabbi Dovid Asher: "Am Mefuzar or Ish Echad?"
  • Rabbi Michael Davies: "Shelo Asani Aved - Relationship with God, Relationship with Man"
  • Rabbi Aaron Feigenbaum: "The Hit You Can’t Forget: A Purim Torah about Tort Law"
  • Rabbi Eric Goldman: "Internalizing Ourselves"
  • Rabbi Raphy Hulkower: "What was Achashverosh Thinking?!"
  • Rabbi Tzvi Sinensky: "One of these Mitzvot is not like the Others"
  • Rabbi Yigal Sklarin: "Mikrah Megillah: Vehicle for Prayer, a Medium for Praise, and a Form of Talmud Torah"