Response ·
“Now We Act as If Everyone We Encounter Might Be Grieving”
By Sarah RindnerCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Sarah Rindner
Sarah Rindner is a writer and educator. She lives in Israel.
Latest Content
Observation ·
A Religious Musical in Secular Tel Aviv
By Sarah RindnerTraditional lines between the secular and religious populations are fading, particularly in the realms of music and art.
Observation ·
The Best Books of 2022, Chosen by Mosaic Authors
By Elliott Abrams, Tamara Berens, Andrew Koss, Daniel Polisar, Neil Rogachevsky, Sarah Rindner, Jonathan SilverFeaturing wars, peacemakers, two cultures, pogroms, plays, four ages, wild problems, caves, magic, letters, American conservatives, liberal parents, radical children, and more.
Observation ·
Tom Stoppard and Theodor Herzl in Jerusalem
By Sarah RindnerLast month saw the first-ever production of Herzl's little-known play The New Ghetto in the country he brought into being. The performance was touched with the sublime.
Observation ·
What the Future Holds for Modern Orthodox Judaism: A Conversation
By Sarah Rindner, Jonathan Silver, Eli SpitzerA video of a discussion earlier this month with the Mosaic columnist Eli Spitzer and Sarah Rindner about the former's attention-grabbing argument about Modern Orthodox Judaism.
Observation ·
The Best Books of 2020, Chosen by Mosaic Authors (Part I)
By Matti Friedman, Daniel Johnson, Moshe Koppel, Sarah RindnerFive of our regular writers pick several favorites each, featuring Turkish denial, Jesus's wife, coffeehouse culture, angst, WEIRDness, and Judaism straight up.
Observation ·
What Aliyah Looks Like (for My Family at Least) in 2020
By Sarah RindnerEven while we currently adhere to responsible social distancing, the sheer wonder of acculturating into life in the Jewish state is far from wearing-off.
Observation ·
The Best Books of 2019, Chosen by Mosaic Authors (Part II)
By Martin Kramer, Sarah Rindner, Neil Rogachevsky, Michael Weingrad, Dr. Ruth Wisse, David WolpeSix more Mosaic writers share their favorites, featuring shadow strikes, orchards, gleanings, constitutional evolutions and revolutions, serotonin, odd women, and more.
Observation ·
Why Rachel’s Tomb Occupies So Remarkable a Place in the Physical and Spiritual Geography of Judaism
By Sarah RindnerThe Tomb has become a shrine for thousands of pilgrims, just as Rachel herself has become the religion's ultimate matriarch. Why?
Observation ·
What the Success of “Mikva the Musical” Says about Orthodox Judaism Today
By Sarah RindnerBy and for Orthodox women, Mikva, which has affinities with The Vagina Monologues , opens up a once-secretive ritual while staying firmly in line with tradition.
Observation ·
“The Oldest of Nations is Also the Youngest”: Jorge Luis Borges on Israel and Judaism
By Sarah RindnerExploring the great Argentinian writer's unusual fascination with Judaism and enthusiasm for the Jewish state.
Observation ·
Rosh Hashanah Has Competition for the Beginning of the Jewish Year
By Sarah RindnerWhy the first of Nisan, which falls on this coming Saturday, would seem to be the most important date of all.
Observation ·
The Bible’s New Attitude toward Slavery
By Sarah RindnerThe Torah doesn't outright end slavery, which was ubiquitous in the ancient world, but it does take the first steps toward ameliorating and transforming it.
Observation ·
The Best Books of 2018, Chosen by Mosaic Authors
By Elliott Abrams, Haviv Rettig Gur, Moshe Koppel, Daniel Polisar, Sarah Rindner, Neil Rogachevsky, Michael Weingrad, Dr. Ruth Wisse, David WolpeLetters, antidotes, eternal lives, outcasts, secret worlds, pogroms, and more.
Observation ·
The Ambivalence of the Biblical Attitude toward Laughter
By Sarah RindnerJewish history has not always been characterized by laughter, but in Genesis it evokes the freedom and joy of a life in partnership with God.
Observation ·
The Kabbalah of Birds’ Nests
By Sarah RindnerIs a biblical commandment against taking a mother bird with her young intended to teach mercy, or is it about something else?
Response ·
Rahel Is a Great Hebrew Poet, Period
By Sarah RindnerCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Observation ·
Why the Menorah Is the Most Enduring of All Jewish Symbols
By Sarah RindnerUnlike the case with nearly every other Tabernacle fixture, the function of the menorah does not cease when the Jewish people no longer possess a Temple.
Response ·
What Others Can Learn from Israel about Having Children
By Sarah RindnerCommitted to developing and supporting the intellectual, religious, and political leaders of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.
Observation ·
The Problem with the Tablets
By Sarah RindnerThe Cecil B. DeMille version of the revelation at Sinai, in which Moses ascends the mountain on his own and returns bearing tablets, misses key aspects of the Israelites' experience.
Observation ·
The Chapter of the Bible in Which Four Nations Are Born
By Sarah RindnerLekh l’kha narrates the birth of the Arabs, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and, of course, the Jewish people.
Observation ·
Were the Ancient Israelites Required to Appoint a King, or Simply Given the Option?
By Sarah RindnerThe monarchy begins twice.
Observation ·
The Bible’s Coalition of Complainers
By Sarah RindnerKoraḥ's failed rebellion against the leadership of Moses shows that a culture based on grievance cannot last.
Observation ·
Why Does the Bible Require New Mothers to Atone after Childbirth?
By Sarah RindnerThe law in Leviticus seems morally questionable, not to mention out of line with the Bible's otherwise encouraging stance toward the bearing of children. What's it really about?
Observation ·
Ancient Israel’s National Anthem
By Sarah RindnerThe great song marking the Israelites' safe crossing of the Sea of Reeds is the Hebrew Bible's only full-length poem recited collectively by the people as a whole. What is it really about?
Observation ·
Which is Better: to Be Righteous, or to Be Quick to Sin and Quick to Repent?
By Sarah RindnerThe story of Joseph sets up two archetypes: the righteous dreamer (Joseph) and the flawed but penitent sinner (his brother Judah). Both have a place in the tradition, but one is preferred.
