Tradition Today Summit

Tradition Today Summit

Author: Tradition Online November 11, 2025 Duration: 25:33
On Sunday, November 9th, 75 Jewish educators, rabbis, lay-leaders, and thought leaders gathered for the second Tradition Today Summit, convened together with Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and TRADITION’s publisher, the Rabbinical Council of America, on “Educating Our Children to Be Ovdei Hashem in a Modern World: Challenges and Opportunities.” Together we considered what we can do as a community to educate the next generation of committed Ovdei Hashem? How can students be guided to engage deeply with Jewish life and learning while navigating the challenges of a rapidly changing world? Questions such as these define the landscape of contemporary Jewish education. This second Tradition Today Summit explored how we confront these issues in different contexts: from the New York area to so-called “out-of-town” communities; from American gap-year programs in Israel to local schools and synagogues. Classical Jewish sources, Hasidic thought, and ideas from general educational teachings provide valuable perspectives for addressing these concerns. Central issues to be considered include the role of technology in the classroom and students’ lives more broadly, strategies for supporting different types of students, and models for fostering genuine spirituality. The discussion will highlight the range of approaches within Modern Orthodoxy and the broader challenges facing Jewish education today. View the program schedule. The conference proceedings will appear in an upcoming special issue of TRADITION. Listen to the opening remarks of the assembly with Rabbi Jeffrey Saks (Editor of TRADITION), Rabbi Etan Tokayer (President, RCA), and Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman (President, Yeshiva University). The post Tradition Today Summit appeared first on Tradition Online.

The Tradition Podcast extends the deep, considered conversation of its long-standing journal into an audio format. Each episode draws from the rich well of Orthodox Jewish thought, but frames these ideas for a contemporary listener grappling with modern questions. You'll hear discussions that sit at the intersection of ancient texts and present-day life, where timeless philosophy meets current ethical dilemmas, historical context informs cultural shifts, and spiritual inquiry finds practical expression. This isn't about delivering simple answers, but rather exploring the nuanced arguments and diverse perspectives that have defined a living tradition for centuries. The podcast naturally delves into the same rigorous topics as the journal-Jewish law, theology, societal trends, and moral philosophy-but with the accessible, engaging flow of a spoken dialogue. It’s for anyone curious about how a vibrant intellectual and religious tradition navigates the complexities of the human experience, offering thoughtful reflection that resonates far beyond the page. Tune in for a series that honors the depth of its source material while creating a new space for auditory learning and reflection.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Tradition Podcast
Podcast Episodes
COVID+5 Panel Discussion [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:44
Readers of TraditionOnline.org have been following our week-long series COVID+5,where we’ve been exploring the lasting impact of the pandemic on Jewish education, communal life, and spirituality. Through the insights and…
The COVID Seder [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:51
With Passover around the corner our minds are on the many preparations required to join our families around the Seder Table—and yet, who can forget the events of five years ago, when so many of us were isolated, locked-d…
Religious Zionism’s Triple Cord [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:01
In this episode of the Tradition Podcast, our associate editor Yitzchak Blau interviews author, researcher, and Makor Rishon columnist Yair Sheleg about his recent Hebrew book HaHut HaMeshulash, whose English title might…
Esther, the Spies & Faith [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:10
In this episode of the TRADITION Podcast, Mali Brofsky and Mark Smilowitz discuss the central thesis of his recent essay, “Esther and the Spies: A Bible-Based Symbolic Meaning of Walled Cities from the Time of Joshua” wh…
The Halakhic Philosophy of Forgiveness [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:36
What is the purpose of forgiveness? How necessary is it to maintain working social order – within the body politic or within the smaller circles of religious community or family? Is forgiveness the work and responsibilit…
War Writing Week [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:11
R. Jonathan Sacks observed that “Jews have survived catastrophe after catastrophe, in a way unparalleled by any other culture. In each case, they did more than survive. Every tragedy in Jewish history was followed by a n…
Maimonides as Rabbi and Philosopher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:23
TRADITION’s Summer 2024 issue contained expanded book review coverage including a review by Menachem Kellner of ArtScroll’s new anthology of Maimonidean philosophy, Kisvei HaRambam: Writings of Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon – T…
The Ideology of Hesder Revisited [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:24
TRADITION and the Rabbinical Council of America recently hosted R. Mosheh Lichtenstein, Rosh Yeshivat Har Etzion, for a conversation revisiting a classic essay from our archives: R. Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l, “The Ideolog…
The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:16
TRADITION’s recent Summer 2024 issue contained expanded book review coverage including a review by Yitzhak Blau on Gila Fine’s new “The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud” (Maggid Books & Pa…
“Bittersweet” with Susan Cain [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:19
It’s become a tradition at TRADITION that each year we turn to our esteemed editorial board for endorsements for summer reading (read this year’s picks here). This summer our friend and colleague Mali Brofsky highlighted…