Lecture at the Museum of the Bible

On March 20 at 12 pm, I will be giving a lecture at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, on “Esther in the Movies.” This class is based on the article I wrote for the book Esther in America a few years ago. We’ll look at the ways in which Hollywood has interpreted and misinterpreted Megillat Esther, particularly the way in which the movies tend to make it into a love story.

You can attend in person if you happen to be at the museum, or you can also attend online for free if interested. See here to register for online attendance: https://www.museumofthebible.org/events/lunch-learn-esther-in-the-movies.

Podcast

I appeared on a podcast for the first time!

Thank you to Rabbi Moshe Kurtz for inviting me to speak about the history of the Haggadah (and Jewish prayer and Karaites) on his podcast, Shu”T First, Ask Questions Later. It was a great deal of fun and hopefully will be informative as well.

You can listen here as well as other places podcasts can be found:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3Zx7Yhr6p7hbF2yJusgMpE?si=z5sXjlUKTiin4zgOw7Wi7w&fbclid=IwAR1tmL_gposxL9MZbZBdUaCUHCSsMe6bcngCmfbylAwXkRsyhkasNahj0X8&nd=1&dlsi=1ebb4828547c49f0

Forgotten Synagogue Classics

My 5-part lecture series on the Hertz Chumash, the Living Torah, the Adler Machzor, the Birnbaum Siddur, and three iterations of the RCA Siddur is now available on YouTube, courtesy of Torah in Motion.

Click here to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL6g0lC7vbk&list=PLGQrWlI7O–7UBUXISJJvrbuLaDfyS-A2

New article about Avram Davidson

I have a new article in the Winter issue of Jewish Review of Books. In an issue rightfully devoted to Israel, my article is a diversion from the main event, but hopefully a worthwhile one.

I consider the life and literary legacy of Avram Davidson, Jewish, and perhaps one of the most unusual science fiction and fantasy writers of the 20th century, shortly after what would have been his 100th birthday.

As the editors write: “Gods in fishbowls, men who are apes, and a Jewish dentist abducted by aliens: the fantastic fiction of Avram Davidson was almost as strange as his life.”

Read on to find out more.

https://jewishreviewofbooks.com/american-jewry/15542/leapsniffing-through-the-vimveil-avram-davidsons-fantastic-fiction/

Single PDF of my siddur series

You can download a PDF of all 4 parts of my series at this link: https://18forty.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Who-Wrote-the-Siddur-Series.pdf

Third and Fourth Articles in my Siddur Series

The final articles in my siddur series are now available at 18Forty:

The Siddur Has a Lot of Prayers. Where Did They Come From?

How Did Modernity Change Jewish Prayer?

Second article in the siddur series

The second article in my siddur series for 18Forty is up! It discusses prayer traditions in the Land of Israel and how the poetry composed there became an important part of our prayers, even as it was marginalized by some:

https://18forty.org/articles/did-all-jews-pray-the-same-in-ancient-times

New series on the history of the Jewish prayer book

I wrote a series of articles on a topic I’ve been fascinated with for years: how did the Jewish prayer book, or siddur, come to be?

My first article is available here at 18Forty: https://18forty.org/articles/who-wrote-the-siddur/.

There will be a total of 4 articles that will be released over the next few weeks.

Lecture series available

For anyone interested in watching/listening to my series for Torah in Motion on the Origins of the Oral Torah, all four classes are available on their website here: https://torahinmotion.org/programs/e-tim-the-origins-of-the-oral-torah.

And, of course, the articles I wrote on the topic are available at 18Forty: https://18forty.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Lindell-Origins-of-Judaism-Full-Series-1.pdf.

New article on the Passover Haggadah

Mention of the korban pesach (the paschal sacrifice) seems largely absent from the Haggadah. Why might this be the case? And perhaps it’s more present than it might seem at first. Read on at the Lehrhaus:

Passover’s Rupture and Reconstruction

Online class available

I recently delivered a lecture for Torah in Motion. The topic, based on an article I wrote a few years ago, is “Are Pesach Guides Getting Stricter?”

Watch here to find out the answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v0wC0_YGDg&list=PLGQrWlI7O–5pxcpKfSuRHMWpl95YSZTX&index=5&ab_channel=TorahinMotion

When Meir Kahane’s Father Translated the Torah

New article! This time at the Seforim Blog: https://seforimblog.com/2023/03/when-meir-kahanes-father-translated-the-torah/.

I write about an unusual translation of the Torah from 1963. While most translators try to approximate the meaning of the Hebrew, that’s not what happened here. Read the article to find out more.

Origins of the Oral Law Part 5

With essay #5, my series on the origins of the Oral Torah for 18Forty is complete. Please click here to read it:

https://18forty.org/…/the-history-of-halacha-torah-today/

This installment deals with the vexing question: why does very little of the detailed halachic system found in the Written or Oral Torah appear to have been observed in biblical times?

Also, click here to view a PDF of the entire series: https://18forty.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Lindell-Origins-of-Judaism-Full-Series-1.pdf

Origins of the Oral Law, Part 4

Part 4 of my series on the Oral Torah is up at 18Forty!

When German Reform rabbis challenged the Talmudic Sages’ interpretations of the Torah, Orthodox rabbis found creative ways to argue that the Sages’ interpretations were logical after all.

The Reform Movement Challenged the Oral Torah. How Did Orthodox Rabbis Respond?

Stay tuned for part 5, the final installment, coming soon!