Author Archives: jjwolfson

Yishayahu  (54:1) said: ‘Greater are sons of the desolate one…’ upon which the Sages expanded: more righteous ones arose for me in a time of destruction than in a time when the Temple stood. Rav Hutner in his classic work … Continue reading →

For the second half of the Fall Semester at NYU in our gemara class, we decided to study the sugyot of Kibbud Av V’Eim (honouring parents). Kibbud Av V’Em is one of the most taken for granted of all halachic topics … Continue reading →

In our fourth class on Jewish Political Thought we study the thought of Don Yitzchak Abrabanel (1437-1508). Abrabanel was one of the most distinguished politicians and statesmen in Jewish history and also one of the tradition’s finest political thinkers. Fascinatingly, despite … Continue reading →

The Rambam on Simcha – In Our Lives, On Festivals, On Sukkot Rav Hutner’s Pahad Yitzhak on Sukkot – the clouds of glory after the golden calf, the second tablets, Yaakov, Emet, temporary and permanence and on developing personalities which incorporate … Continue reading →

The start of the academic year at NYU has corresponded with Ellul, Rosh HaShanna and Yom Kippur, and thank God our community has been able to learn a lot of Torah. Below are the recordings of three courses with classes … Continue reading →

I’ve been teaching two exciting new courses at The Bronfman Center since the start of semester – both designed to be relevant to this point in the Jewish and secular calendar as well as stimulating and rigorous Torah. The first … Continue reading →

I have just finished a wonderful ten days in South Africa where I was brought out by Limmud SA and The Academy of Jewish Thought and Learning. I saw three cities, the bush, learned about SA politics and the Jewish community, bonded with … Continue reading →

One of my favourite parts of my second semester at NYU this last year was a weekly learning group of students on the topic of Aveilut – the laws and practices surrounding death and bereavement in Jewish life. All recordings and … Continue reading →

A piece for Parshat Chukat in memory of Elie Wiesel. Great books capture something vital about what it is to be human. I feel a debt to an author when their work has given me a new way of thinking … Continue reading →

Friday night derasha given at on May 6th 2016, Parshat Aharei Mot, and nearly a year since Rav Aharon Lichtenstein’s passing. Shabbat Shalom everybody בזאת יבא אהרון אל הקודש A plausible reading of the first verse of our parsha presents us … Continue reading →