My latest article, a review of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ posthumously published synagogue Chumash, is now available at the Lehrhaus:

https://thelehrhaus.com/commentary/the-new-modern-orthodox-humash-at-last-a-review-of-the-rabbi-sacks-humash/

My latest article, on the evolution of chazzanut and singing in shul, is now out in Jewish Action. The topic is very near and dear to me, not least because I often serve as a chazzan myself. I would love any feedback you might have.

https://jewishaction.com/synagogue-prayer/between-nusach-and-niggun-the-chazzans-evolving-role/

I recently concluded teaching an online series for Torah in Motion on the history of the Haggadah called “From the Mishnah to Maggid: Case Studies in the Development of the Haggadah.” You can find the series here on YouTube here. The last part of the series did not make it into the YouTube playlist, however, and you can find it here.

In the Spring 2025 edition of Jewish Review of Books, I have a new article on the back page, a short but wacky historical exploration of the final songs of the Haggadah, Echad Mi Yodea and Chad Gadya.

Basically, after listening to the a cappella group Home Free’s cover of “Children Go Where I Send Thee” with Kenny Rogers (which sounded uncannily like Echad Mi Yodea), I went down a rabbit hole and found a lot of goats.

https://jewishreviewofbooks.com/jewish-life/18544/kidnapped-choruses/

Pleased to share my latest article for The Lehrhaus, a review of Dr. Avigail Rock’s “Great Biblical Commentators,” an excellent volume from Koren Publishers on the biography and methodology of 24 biblical commentators.

Bringing the Bible’s Commentators to Life

My article on Dr. Philip Birnbaum’s forgotten Chumash translation and commentary, which was published in Hakirah 6 months ago, is now freely available on their website if you want to read it: https://hakirah.org/Vol35Lindell.pdf. It contains a section on Birnbaum’s life, and it’s the most comprehensive biography of him published to date.

I recently taught a 4-part class on the history and development of the prayer book for Torah in Motion. The entire class is available on YouTube for those interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQTSLjGZ7ew&list=PLGQrWlI7O–4b7CvC_dQtlfWCW0nc44kd&index=3

It’s based on the series of article I wrote for 18Forty last year, which is available here: https://18forty.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Who-Wrote-the-Siddur-Series.pdf

In my latest for The Lehrhaus, I argue that we ought to rethink the way we say Selichot, which tends to emphasize quantity over quality. What if instead we looked to explanatory Kinot on Tisha Be-Av as a better model?

Why Can’t Selihot Be More Like Kinot?

My first book review for The Jewish Press is of the thought-provoking Talmud Reclaimed by Rabbi Shmuli Phillips. You can read the review here: https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/books/book-reviews/where-does-the-oral-torah-come-from-and-can-it-change/2024/10/02/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFw9itleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRWrNFVkvTxVSMpG6O-FdJmKKMi4f0fU3KsiHndzg5O6dXUabhhV23PzxQ_aem_pH7NSDTsGMPBeO0kMCj_kw

Last week on Tisha B’av, I spoke at the end of Torah in Motion’s program. My class was on the emotions of Tisha B’av–particularly, that throughout the kinot (lamentations) of the day, we discuss not only feelings of sadness and grief, but also anger and hope.

You can watch the recording here:

Last week, I taught a parsha class for Torah in Motion about the troubling episode of the the Sotah. You can view it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpJXUs2JIj8&t=2997s&ab_channel=TorahinMotion

Last year, right before Shavuot, my wife had a traumatic second-trimester miscarriage.

I debated whether to write about the experience for quite some time, but decided that I would share my thoughts–from a not often heard father’s perspective–in the hope that it might bring those who share this all too common loss a measure of nechama (comfort).

Here is the article I wrote, published at Tablet Magazine.

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/mourning-miscarriage-shavuot

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.

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