How do Orthodox Jews police the boundaries of, well, orthodoxy? From the archive, three authors reflect on a shunned rabbi who harmed the Orthodox cause, a polemic against Lubavitcher messianists, and a learned account of Baruch Spinoza.

FROM THE OCTOBER 2021 ISSUE

A Naive Heretic

J. J. KIMCHE

The foundational creed of Orthodox Judaism today is the belief that the five books of Moses were dictated, fully and flawlessly, by God himself. 

FROM THE MAY 2003 ISSUE

The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Heresy Hunter

DAVID SINGER

It is the occupational hazard of the heresy hunter to come to believe that he faces an all-powerful enemy who exerts vast influence.

FROM THE FEBRUARY 2017 ISSUE

Absolute Reason

SHALOM CARMY

Many Jews and quite a few non-Jews share a fascination with Spinoza that is out of all proportion to their interest in his actual ideas.

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