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The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿavoda Zara By
The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿAvoda Zara By Mira Beth Wasserman A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley in Jewish Studies in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Daniel Boyarin, chair Professor Chana Kronfeld Professor Naomi Seidman Professor Kenneth Bamberger Spring 2014 Abstract The Humanity of the Talmud: Reading for Ethics in Bavli ʿAvoda Zara by Mira Beth Wasserman Joint Doctor of Philosophy with Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley University of California, Berkeley Professor Daniel Boyarin, chair In this dissertation, I argue that there is an ethical dimension to the Babylonian Talmud, and that literary analysis is the approach best suited to uncover it. Paying special attention to the discursive forms of the Talmud, I show how juxtapositions of narrative and legal dialectics cooperate in generating the Talmud's distinctive ethics, which I characterize as an attentiveness to the “exceptional particulars” of life. To demonstrate the features and rewards of a literary approach, I offer a sustained reading of a single tractate from the Babylonian Talmud, ʿAvoda Zara (AZ). AZ and other talmudic discussions about non-Jews offer a rich resource for considerations of ethics because they are centrally concerned with constituting social relationships and with examining aspects of human experience that exceed the domain of Jewish law. AZ investigates what distinguishes Jews from non-Jews, what Jews and non- Jews share in common, and what it means to be a human being. I read AZ as a cohesive literary work unified by the overarching project of examining the place of humanity in the cosmos. -
Jewishness, Birth and Giyyur
1 Zvi Zohar All Jews are Jews by Birth Biblical and Rabbinic Judaism agree, that anyone born to the appropriate Jewish parent – is Jewish. To most Jews, it sounds quite reasonable for Jewishness to derive from birth. However, such a determination is far from self-evident. Consider a counter-example: if a person was born on a kibbutz, and her two parents are members of the kibbutz, she is not automatically a member. Rather, upon reaching a certain age, she must decide if she wishes to apply for membership. If she applies, her application comes up for discussion by the kibbutz assembly, who then decide the matter by a vote. While it is reasonable to assume that a child born and grown on the kibbutz will be accepted for membership if she applies, it is not automatic. The important point (in the current context) is, that her membership is contingent upon at least two decisions: her decision to apply, and the assembly’s decision to accept her. In contrast, Jewishness is not contingent upon any person’s decision, but is regarded by tradition as a ‘fact of birth’. The sources of this self-understanding are very ancient: in the Bible, the Israelites are the “Children of Israel”, i.e., the lineal descendents of the Patriarch Jacob and his twelve sons. In the bible, then, the People of Israel are made up of persons born into a (very) extended family. Some notions accepted in Biblical times were abrogated or modified by the Oral Torah (Torah she- b’al peh); significantly, the concept of the familial nature of Jewishness was not only retained, but also even reinforced. -
Violent Video Games, but It Does Indicate What Happens When Children Make Media the Center of Their Lives
1 Violent and Defamatory Video Games Rabbi Elliot Dorff and Rabbi Joshua Hearshen February 4, 2010 EH 21:1.2010 This paper was approved on February 4, 2010, by a vote of twelve in favor (12-0-1). Voting in favor: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Miriam Berkowitz, Elliot Dorff, Robert Fine, Susan Grossman, Josh Heller, Jane Kanarek, Daniel Nevins, Avram Reisner, Jay Stein, Steven Wernick and David Wise. Abstaining: Rabbi Adam Kligfeld. The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly provides guidance in matters of halakhah for the Conservative movement. The individual rabbi, however, is the authority for the interpretation and application of all matters of halakhah. She’elah: May Jews play violent or defamatory video games? Te’shuvah: The video game industry accounts for an enormous percentage of the entertainment industry today. 1 According to a September 2008 survey by the Pew Research Center, 97% of all teenagers play video games in some format. 2 While First Amendment rights to free speech assure that the content of these games is legal in American law, their ethical status varies widely. The variety of games available today is great, and the good to be gained from many of them may also be great. They stimulate the minds of the elderly, and they raise preparedness scores of those about to enter the Israeli army, and they help youngsters learn everything from music to mathematics. In a portion of the games, however, the material is morally questionable and may even be harmful or immoral on other grounds. These include what we are calling “violent and defamatory games.” By “violent” we mean gratuitous brute force intended 1 http://www.mediafamily.org the Mediawise Video Game Report Card is published periodically by the National Institute on Media and the Family. -
Delay of Pidyon Haben
YD 305:ll.l995 DELAY OF PIDYON HABEN Rabbi Vernon H. Kurtz TI1is paper was approved by the ens on March 27, 799,5, by a vote of' twenty in favor (20-0-0), Voting· infiwor: Rabbis Kassel Abelson, Tlen Zion Tlergman, Stephanie Dickstein, F:Zliot ;Y Dorff, Jerome ;l;f F:pstein, Myron S. Geller, Arnold wr Goodman, Su,l(lfl. Crossman, Judah Kogen, Ti?mon H. Kurtz, 4lan Tl. Lucas, Aaron T,. Machlet; Lionel F:. Moses, Paul Plothin, .:'Hu:)WT HabinotDitz, Arram Israel Hei.sne1", Joel f~·. Hembaum, Joel Hoth, Gerald Sholnili, and Gendd Xehzer. 17w Committee on Jm:ish T,aw and StandarcLs rijthe Rabbinical 1ssembly provides guidance in matters rijhalahhahfor the Conservative movement. 1he individual rabbi, hou,ever, is the authori('yJOr the interpretation and application of all malters of'lwluhhnh. May Pi111'i!:l be postponed beyond the thirty-first day'? One of my tasln; in my current congregation is to teach a life cycle class to students of m:.:~ n:::l/i:::l age and their parents. One of the topics discussed is T:::li1 P'i!:l, the redemp tion of the first-born son. Most students and many parents are unfamiliar with the con cept and the ritual. Over the course of six y<:ars teaching the class, two families have approached me and recognized that their son should have been redeemed, but was not. In each case, since the m~m remained the re;;ponsibility of the parent;; until their son became am:.:~ i:::l, we arranged for the ritual to take place. -
Derech Hateva 2018.Pub
Derech HaTeva A Journal of Torah and Science A Publication of Yeshiva University, Stern College for Women Volume 22 2017-2018 Co-Editors Elana Apfelbaum | Tehilla Berger | Hannah Piskun Cover & Layout Design Shmuel Ormianer Printing Advanced Copy Center, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Acknowledgements The editors of this year’s volume would like to thank Dr. Harvey Babich for the incessant time and effort that he devotes to this journal. Dr. Babich infuses his students with a passion for the Torah Umadda vision and serves as an exemplar of this philosophy to them. Through his constant encouragement and support, students feel confident to challenge themselves and find interesting connections between science and Torah. Dr. Babich, thank you for all the effort you contin- uously devote to us through this journal, as well as to our personal and future lives as professionals and members of the Jewish community. The publication of Volume 22 of this journal was made possible thanks to the generosity of the following donors: Dr. and Mrs. Harvey Babich Mr. and Mrs. Louis Goldberg Dr. Fred and Dr. Sheri (Rosenfeld) Grunseid Rabbi and Mrs. Baruch Solnica Rabbi Joel and Dr. Miriam Grossman Torah Activities Council YU Undergraduate Admissions We thank you for making this opportunity possible. Elana Apfelbaum Tehilla Berger Hannah Piskun Dedication We would like to dedicate the 22nd volume of Derech HaTeva: A Journal of Torah and Science to the soldiers of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Formed from the ashes of the Holocaust, the Israeli army represents the enduring strength and bravery of the Jewish people. The soldiers of the IDF have risked their lives to protect the Jewish nation from adversaries in every generation in wars such as the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War. -
The Sea of Talmud: a Brief and Personal Introduction
Touro Scholar Lander College of Arts and Sciences Books Lander College of Arts and Sciences 2012 The Sea of Talmud: A Brief and Personal Introduction Henry M. Abramson Touro College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://touroscholar.touro.edu/lcas_books Part of the Jewish Studies Commons Recommended Citation Abramson, H. M. (2012). The Sea of Talmud: A Brief and Personal Introduction. Retrieved from https://touroscholar.touro.edu/lcas_books/3 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Lander College of Arts and Sciences at Touro Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Lander College of Arts and Sciences Books by an authorized administrator of Touro Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE SEA OF TALMUD A Brief and Personal Introduction Henry Abramson Published by Parnoseh Books at Smashwords Copyright 2012 Henry Abramson Cover photograph by Steven Mills. No Talmud volumes were harmed during the photo shoot for this book. Smashwords Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment and information only. This ebook should not be re-sold to others. Educational institutions may reproduce, copy and distribute this ebook for non-commercial purposes without charge, provided the book remains in its complete original form. Version 3.1 June 18, 2012. To my students All who thirst--come to the waters Isaiah 55:1 Table of Contents Introduction Chapter One: Our Talmud Chapter Two: What, Exactly, is the Talmud? Chapter Three: The Content of the Talmud Chapter Four: Toward the Digital Talmud Chapter Five: “Go Study” For Further Reading Acknowledgments About the Author Introduction The Yeshiva administration must have put considerable thought into the wording of the hand- lettered sign posted outside the cafeteria. -
Bekhorot 267-328
fqx BEKHOROT 1 ` w xtzexeka 267 Mishnah Bekhorot, chapter 1 ` wxt zexeka dpyn (1) One who buys an embryo [while Fl xkFOde ,ixkp lW FxFng xAr gwFNd©¥©ª©£¤¨§¦§©¥ ` still in its mother's womb] of a donkey ,Fl sYYWOde ,i`Xx Fpi`W iR lr s`©©¦¤¥©©©¦§©¥ belonging to a gentile or who sells one on xEhR ,dlAwa Fl ozFPde ,EPOn lAwnde§©§©¥¦¤§©¥§©¨¨¨¦ to him, although this is not permitted la` ,l`xUiA§¦§¨¥£¨ ,(b xacna) xn`PW ,dxFkAd©§¨¤¤¡© [the Rabbis forbade selling large ,xnge lTn oixEhR mIelE mipdM .mixg`a `lŸ©£¥¦Ÿ£¦§¦¦§¦¦©¨Ÿ¤ animals to gentiles as a precaution, lest `Ed oiC ,xAcOA l`xUi lW ExhR m`¦¨§¤¦§¨¥©¦§¨¦ one also rent his animals to gentiles who may work with them on the Shabbat; an animal belonging to a Jew may not be worked with on Shabbat], or who forms a partnership with him [even when he owns a single limb of the animal so that if it would be missing, this would constitute a blemish], or one who receives [an animal] from him to look after [the Jew takes care of the donkey and in return, he keeps the embryo] or who gives [his donkey] to him to look after [the gentile takes care of the donkey and in return, he keeps the embryo], [in all these cases] he is exempt from the [law of the] firstling, for it says: “[I sanctified every firstborn in Israel for Myself, man and animal alike]” “In Israel,” but not with the gentiles. Priests and Levites are exempt [from the law of the firstling,] by the reasoning of a fortiori: [Since Levites exempt the firstborn of Israel, as it says: “And you will take the Levites for Me — I am the Lord — instead of every firstborn among the Children of Israel]” (Numbers 3:45). -
Prof. Ishay Rosen-Zvi LIST of PUBLICATIONS DOCTORAL
Prof. Ishay Rosen-Zvi LIST OF PUBLICATIONS DOCTORAL DISSERTATION 1. “The ritual of suspected adulteress (Sotah) in Tannaic literature,” Tel Aviv University 2004. Supervised by Prof. Moshe Halbertal and Prof. Adi Ophir. Published as #2. BOOKS 2. The Rite that Was not: Temple, Midrash and Gender in Tractate Sotah (Jerusalem: Magnes, 2008; Hebrew). 316 pages. 3. The Mishnaic Sotah Ritual: Temple, Gender and Midrash (Journal for the Study of Judaism-Supplement Series, Leiden: Brill, 2012). 256 pages. A revised translation of #2 4. Demonic Desires: Yetzer Hara and the problem of Evil in Late Antiquity, Divinations: Rereading Late Ancient Religion (Philadelphia: Penn Press, 2011). 293 pages. 5. Body and Soul in Ancient Judaism (Tel Aviv: Modan and the Broadcasted University, 2012; Hebrew), 131 pages. 6. Goy: Israel Others and the Birth of the Gentile, with Adi Ophir (Oxford University Press, 2018), 333 pages. 7. Between Mishnah and Midrash: The Birth of Rabbinic Literature (the Open University, Raanana 2019; Hebrew), 476 pages. BOOKS EDITED: 8. I. Rosen-Zvi, G. Bohak and R. Margolin (eds.), Myth, Mysticism and Ritual: The Relationship between Jewish Studies and Religious Studies; A Festschrift for Ithamar Gruenwald. Teudah: Studies of the Haim Rosenberg School for Jewish Studies, 26, 2014. 9. I. Rosen-Zvi, M. Vidas, C. Fonrobert, A. Shemesh and (eds.), Talmudic Transgressions: Encounters with Daniel Boyarin (Brill, Leiden, 2017) Forthcoming 10. I. Rosen-Zvi, D. Boyarin and V. Noam (eds.), From the Disciples of Aaron: Studies in Tannaitic Literature and Ancient Halakha, in Memory of Prof. Aaron Shemesh, Teuda (Tel-Aviv University). 11. H. Patmore, I. -
1 Parashat Bo Kiddush Ha-Chodesh by David Silverberg Parashat Bo Features the Famous Mitzva Known As Kiddush Ha-Chodesh, Literal
Parashat Bo Kiddush Ha-chodesh By David Silverberg Parashat Bo features the famous mitzva known as kiddush ha-chodesh , literally, "the sanctification of the month," or, perhaps more precisely, "the designation of the month." God appears to Moshe and Aharon in Egypt on the eve of the Exodus and declares, "This month is for you the head of the months; it is the first for you of the months of the year" (12:2). Maimonides, in his Sefer Ha-mitzvot ( mitzvat asei 153), cites this verse as the Biblical source for the obligation "to designate months and years." He elaborates on this mitzva in the Hilkhot Kiddush Ha-chodesh section of Mishneh Torah , where he delineates, based on the Talmud, the procedures whereby the Sanhedrin (Supreme Rabbinical Court) would hear testimony to the sighting of the new moon, and on this basis proclaim the beginning of the new month. This mitzva also entails the adjustment of the Hebrew calendar through the occasional addition of a thirteenth month to ensure an approximate correspondence between the Hebrew calendar's lunar-based cycle and the agricultural cycle that results from the earth's revolution around the sun. This essay will explore several of Maimonides' comments concerning this obligation which have given rise to some confusion and controversy. But before we introduce the relevant passages, it is necessary to first clarify several basic terms and concepts concerning the Hebrew calendar. Firstly, we must emphasize the importance and centrality of the calendar to Jewish life, as no festivals can be observed without a system of determining dates. -
Narratology, Hermeneutics, and Midrash
Poetik, Exegese und Narrative Studien zur jüdischen Literatur und Kunst Poetics, Exegesis and Narrative Studies in Jewish Literature and Art Band 2 / Volume 2 Herausgegeben von / edited by Gerhard Langer, Carol Bakhos, Klaus Davidowicz, Constanza Cordoni Constanza Cordoni / Gerhard Langer (eds.) Narratology, Hermeneutics, and Midrash Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Narratives from the Late Antique Period through to Modern Times With one figure V&R unipress Vienna University Press Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. ISBN 978-3-8471-0308-0 ISBN 978-3-8470-0308-3 (E-Book) Veröffentlichungen der Vienna University Press erscheineN im Verlag V&R unipress GmbH. Gedruckt mit freundlicher Unterstützung des Rektorats der Universität Wien. © 2014, V&R unipress in Göttingen / www.vr-unipress.de Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Das Werk und seine Teile sind urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung in anderen als den gesetzlich zugelassenen Fällen bedarf der vorherigen schriftlichen Einwilligung des Verlages. Printed in Germany. Titelbild: „splatch yellow“ © Hazel Karr, Tochter der Malerin Lola Fuchs-Carr und des Journalisten und Schriftstellers Maurice Carr (Pseudonym von Maurice Kreitman); Enkelin der bekannten jiddischen Schriftstellerin Hinde-Esther Singer-Kreitman (Schwester von Israel Joshua Singer und Nobelpreisträger Isaac Bashevis Singer) und Abraham Mosche Fuchs. Druck und Bindung: CPI Buch Bücher.de GmbH, Birkach Gedruckt auf alterungsbeständigem Papier. Contents Constanza Cordoni / Gerhard Langer Introduction .................................. 7 Irmtraud Fischer Reception of Biblical texts within the Bible: A starting point of midrash? . 15 Ilse Muellner Celebration and Narration. Metaleptic features in Ex 12:1 – 13,16 . -
SYNOPSIS the Mishnah and Tosefta Are Two Related Works of Legal
SYNOPSIS The Mishnah and Tosefta are two related works of legal discourse produced by Jewish sages in Late Roman Palestine. In these works, sages also appear as primary shapers of Jewish law. They are portrayed not only as individuals but also as “the SAGES,” a literary construct that is fleshed out in the context of numerous face-to-face legal disputes with individual sages. Although the historical accuracy of this portrait cannot be verified, it reveals the perceptions or wishes of the Mishnah’s and Tosefta’s redactors about the functioning of authority in the circles. An initial analysis of fourteen parallel Mishnah/Tosefta passages reveals that the authority of the Mishnah’s SAGES is unquestioned while the Tosefta’s SAGES are willing at times to engage in rational argumentation. In one passage, the Tosefta’s SAGES are shown to have ruled hastily and incorrectly on certain legal issues. A broader survey reveals that the Mishnah also contains a modest number of disputes in which the apparently sui generis authority of the SAGES is compromised by their participation in rational argumentation or by literary devices that reveal an occasional weakness of judgment. Since the SAGES are occasionally in error, they are not portrayed in entirely ideal terms. The Tosefta’s literary construct of the SAGES differs in one important respect from the Mishnah’s. In twenty-one passages, the Tosefta describes a later sage reviewing early disputes. Ten of these reviews involve the SAGES. In each of these, the later sage subjects the dispute to further analysis that accords the SAGES’ opinion no more a priori weight than the opinion of individual sages. -
Rereading the Mishnah
Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism Texte und Studien zum Antiken Judentum Edited by Martin Hengel and Peter Schäfer 109 Judith Hauptman Rereading the Mishnah A New Approach to Ancient Jewish Texts Mohr Siebeck JUDITH HAUPTMAN: born 1943; BA in Economics at Barnard College (Columbia Univer- sity); BHL, MA, PhD in Talmud and Rabbinics at Jewish Theological Seminary; is currently E. Billy Ivry Professor of Talmud and Rabbinic Culture, Jewish Theological Seminary, NY. ISBN 3-16-148713-3 ISSN 0721-8753 (Texts and Studies in Ancient Judaism) Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliographie; de- tailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.ddb.de. © 2005 by Judith Hauptman / Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that permitted by copyright law) without the publisher's written permission. This applies particularly to reproductions, translations, microfilms and storage and processing in electronic systems. The book was printed by Guide-Druck in Tiibingen on non-aging paper and bound by Buchbinderei Spinner in Ottersweier. Printed in Germany. •mm i^DH tn In memory of my brother, Philip Jonathan Hauptman, a heroic physician, who died on Rosh Hodesh Nisan 5765 Contents Preface IX Notes to the Reader XII Abbreviations XIII Chapter 1: Rethinking the Relationship between the Mishnah and the Tosefta 1 A. Two Illustrative Sets of Texts 3 B. Theories of the Tosefta's Origins 14 C. New Model 17 D. Challenges and Responses 25 E. This Book 29 Chapter 2: The Tosefta as a Commentary on an Early Mishnah 31 A.