A comparison of multiple Talmudic editions provides a bibliographical solution to an interpretive quandary
In this week’s ‘Daf Yomi’ Talmud study, how Jewish conceptions of friendship and trust are tied up in ritual purity and levels of religious observance
Organization says ritual marker imposes Orthodox Judaism on all residents
Neighborhood tensions sparked the 24-year-old’s bid for borough councillor
One of many ancient local customs analyzed in this week’s Talmud study is the habit of separating Jews from gentiles
Most American Jews have effectively cast off rabbinic guidance. Would the Talmud’s rabbis have respected us for it, or disdained us?
By imbuing even the most mundane things—like vinegar—with importance, the rabbis find proof of sacred history
Daf Yomi: For generations, Talmudic training has meant exercising the mind in logical thinking, not just learning laws
Daf Yomi: In textual analysis, the rabbis found biblical bases for customs and rituals that lacked them
Long after the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed, Talmudic rabbis kept it alive in their imaginations, and ours
Daf Yomi: The rabbis examined practical dimensions of deep questions, including those raised around saliva, urine, and sex
Daf Yomi: Our literary critic ambles over rooftops, ruins, and ships, in search of meaning in Jewish commentary
Daf Yomi: Our literary critic discovers more rules on male authority, Shabbat meals, and how the rabbis thought about wealth
This week’s Talmud reading prompts strikingly contemporary questions about observance and belief
As the rabbis remind us again this week, the law is the law—whether it pleases you or not
The Talmudic rabbis saw the world as a wedding—a place of charity and pleasures to be enjoyed while it lasts
Through reasoning, the rabbis brought all of natural creation under the rule of law
The Talmud’s pragmatism and wonder meet in a technical problem about the height of a boundary line
