In two new books, Hartman scholar Avi Sagi – a religious liberal and critic of the messianic right – explains why there are glimmers of hope for Israelis, even now.

With the joy and healing of the hostage return, Israelis must begin a process of rehabilitation not only from trauma, but also from despair

"To pause in the present one day a year is a blessing; to live permanently while stuck in the present feels like a curse," writes Yehuda Kurtzer in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield shares her thoughts as we approach the end of such a profoundly challenging year for the Jewish people.