Tag Archives: Talmud

Halakhic Innovation

I know this is a bit off-topic, but this article from today’s Haaretz is relevant to the general theme of my series on the evolution of the oral law. It raises a question we raised since our first class in … Continue reading

Posted in A fence around the Torah, Alexander The Great, Babylonian Talmud, Bavli, Bein Hametzorim, Bible, Conservative Judaism, Cycleof the Jewish Year, Ethics of the Fathers, Ezra, Fast Days, God, Haredi, Holocaust, Israel, Jerusalem Talmud, Jewish, Jewish Calendar, Jewish Learning, Jewish Life, Jewish Living, Jewish Parenting, Jewish Religion, Jewish ritual, Jewish Wisdom, Judaism, Kabbalah, Learning, Luck, Madonna, Maimonides, Men of the Great Assembly, Moses, Oral Law, Orthodox, Orthodox Judaism, Orthodoxy, Parenting, Passover, Pharisees, Pirkei Avot, Prophecy, Prophets, Rabbis, Rambam, Reconstrcutionist Judaism, Reconstructionism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Reform, Reform Judaism, Religion, Religious coercion, Religious freedom, Religious Judaism, Saducees, Sages, Samaritans, Sea of Halakhah, Seder, Seventeenth of Tammuz, Shavuot, Shimon Hatzadik, Shoah, Shomronim, Simon the Just, Sinai, Talmud, Tanach, Teaching Torah, The Three Weeks, Theology, Torah Shebe'al Peh, Trah Shebe'al peh, Trochenbrod, Uncategorized, Women, Written Law, yahrzeit, Yerushalmi, Yom Hashoah | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Going…going…where? Goodbye to Prophecy

We know that between the last of the prophets and the beginning of the Mishnah, Judaism underwent a major change.  Avot describes this period in just a sentence or two.  The Rambam takes several paragraphs to explain it.  But nobody … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized, Jewish Calendar, Seventeenth of Tammuz, Fast Days, Seder, Jewish ritual, Israel, Judaism, Orthodox, Religious Judaism, Religious freedom, Religious coercion, Haredi, Learning, Kabbalah, Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reform Judaism, Reconstrcutionist Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Orthodoxy, Reform, Talmud, Jewish Learning, Teaching Torah, Bavli, Babylonian Talmud, Jerusalem Talmud, Rabbis, Sages, Jewish Wisdom, Bible, Tanach, God, Theology, Religion, Jewish Religion, Jewish Life, Jewish Living, Sea of Halakhah, Trah Shebe'al peh, Oral Law, Moses, Sinai, Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers, Maimonides, Rambam, Torah Shebe'al Peh, Pharisees, Saducees, Prophets, Prophecy, Samaritans, Shomronim, Ezra, Alexander The Great, Simon the Just, Shimon Hatzadik, Men of the Great Assembly, A fence around the Torah | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Takkanot – The Torah adapts to new realities

The Mishnah marks the culmination of the transition from Prophetic Judaism to Rabbinic Judaism.  The period before that – from the time of Ezra to the establishment of the Anshei Knesset Hagedolah (Men of the Great Assembly) – is the … Continue reading

Posted in Babylonian Talmud, Bavli, Bible, Conservative Judaism, Cycleof the Jewish Year, Ethics of the Fathers, Fast Days, God, Haredi, Holocaust, Israel, Jerusalem Talmud, Jewish, Jewish Calendar, Jewish Learning, Jewish Life, Jewish Living, Jewish Religion, Jewish ritual, Jewish Wisdom, Judaism, Kabbalah, Learning, Maimonides, Moses, Oral Law, Orthodox, Orthodox Judaism, Orthodoxy, Passover, Pirkei Avot, Rabbis, Rambam, Reconstrcutionist Judaism, Reconstructionism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Reform, Reform Judaism, Religion, Religious freedom, Religious Judaism, Sages, Sea of Halakhah, Seventeenth of Tammuz, Shavuot, Sinai, Talmud, Tanach, Teaching Torah, Theology, Trah Shebe'al peh, Uncategorized, Yerushalmi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Madonna didn’t show up to my Shavuot shiur (and what she missed: Part 1)

Part 1. The List Madonna arrived in Israel just before Shavuot while I was busy putting together my presentation for Kehillat Yediyah’s  Tikun leil Shavuot (all-night learning session) – naturally I drew the 2:30 AM slot.  Of course, I didn’t expect … Continue reading

Posted in Cycleof the Jewish Year, Israel, Jewish Calendar, Jewish Parenting, Jewish ritual, Judaism, Kabbalah, Learning, Madonna, Orthodox, Parenting, Religious freedom, Religious Judaism, Shavuot, Tikun leil Shavuot, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kitniyot – A Pre-Yom Hashoah Reflection

Why am I writing about my custom of not eating kitniyot (legumes) on Pesah on the eve of Yom Hashoah? Well, besides the close proximity of the two dates (it was less than a week ago that I was defending … Continue reading

Posted in Cycleof the Jewish Year, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish Calendar, Jewish ritual, Judaism, Luck, Orthodox, Passover, Religious freedom, Religious Judaism, Shoah, Trochenbrod, Uncategorized, Yom Hashoah | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

…but it’s a derekh.

Several months ago, I joined an online discussion group for Rabbis.  It’s a wonderful forum that brings together rabbis from all streams and different parts of the world.  It’s for this reason that I enjoy the group so much.  We … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Jewish ritual, Judaism, Religious freedom, Religious Judaism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Occupy Haagen Dazs?

                                                                                … Continue reading

Posted in Haredi, Israel, Jewish ritual, Judaism, Orthodox, Religious freedom, Religious Judaism, Shoah, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

From Ponevezh To Oslo

Recently, a team of Korean journalists visited the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Jerusalem to see the how Jews study Talmud.  Even for Israel, this was strange photo op -  a  group of Koreans, fully rigged out with a TV cameras,  winding … Continue reading

Posted in Israel, Judaism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ABSOLUT TALMUD

Talmud is the original “open-source” platform. Talmud is not Gemara.  Gemara denotes finality, a closed book.  Talmud is not closed, and it’s certainly not a book. Talmud is a verb, not a noun. We are Talmud, a living, open conversation, … Continue reading

Posted in Babylonian Talmud, Bavli, Bible, Conservative Judaism, Cycleof the Jewish Year, God, Israel, Jerusalem Talmud, Jewish, Jewish Learning, Jewish Life, Jewish Living, Jewish Religion, Jewish ritual, Jewish Wisdom, Judaism, Kabbalah, Learning, Orthodox, Orthodox Judaism, Orthodoxy, Rabbis, Reconstrcutionist Judaism, Reconstructionism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Reform, Reform Judaism, Religion, Sages, Sea of Halakhah, Talmud, Tanach, Teaching Torah, Theology, Uncategorized, Women, Yerushalmi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment