The Aleinu Prayer and the Pardes Story: Major Trends in Hekhalot Literature Research by Shlomo Brody

The prayer Aleinu, which plays a central role in the Rosh Hashana liturgy, first appears within the Hekhalot literature, a large corpus of mystical writings and experiences which emerged in late antiquity.  This literature, full of narratives of Sages ascending to the Heavens – including the famous Pardes story also found in the Talmud – [...]

The Anger of Scholars: Avot Chapter 5 by Aryeh Klapper

משנה מסכת אבות פרק ה:י-טו ארבע מדות באדם: האומר שלי שלי ושלך שלך –                         זו מדה בינונית; ויש אומרים זו מדת סדום; שלי שלך ושלך שלי –                                  עם הארץ; שלי שלך ושלך שלך –                                 חסיד; שלי שלי ושלך שלי –                                   רשע:  ארבע מדות בדעות: נוח לכעוס ונוח לרצות –                              יצא [...]

Struggling with Books and Teachers: R’ Chaim Volozhiner’s Commentary to Avot 1:4 by Aryeh Klapper

משנה מסכת אבות פרק א:ד יוסי בן יועזר אומר: יהי ביתך בית ועד לחכמים, והוי מתאבק בעפר רגליהם, והוי שותה בצמא את דבריהם:  רוח חיים לאבות א:ד יהי ביתך בית ועד כו’ – יתכן לפרש כי במ”ח דברים שהתורה ניקנית בהם, כמבואר לקמן, א’ מהם הוא המחכים את רבותיו ע”י שאלותיו החריפים וממילא רווחא שמעתתא [...]

What is the Halakhic Status of the Doctrine of the Trinity?

by Aryeh Klapper Texts followed by analysis:  Sanhedrin 63b A beraita: “And the names of other divinities you must not mention” – this forbids a person to say to his friend ‘Wait for me next to that avodah zarah’; “it must not be heard on account of you” –  this forbids one from taking an oath [...]

The Angel’s Oath: The Relationship of Hazal to the Platonic Doctrine of Recollection by David Flatto

The Angel’s Oath:  The Relationship of Hazal to the Platonic Doctrine of Recollection by David C. Flatto Whereas balei mussar and machshava dramatize the great clash between Judaism and Hellenism (which serves as the background to the holiday of Hanukka), Jewish historians go to great lengths to demonstrate the degree to which Second Temple Judaism [...]

Talmudic Mediation: Conflicting Interpretations of the Talmud as Conflicting Needs in Society

Talmudic Mediation Conflicting Interpretations of the Talmud as Conflicting Needs in Society Baba Batra 5a, 7b-9a[1] Guest Post by Daniel Roth I. Introduction Gemara be-iyun, or the traditional in-depth study of the Talmud practiced in advanced Jewish learning institutes around the world, is widely regarded as the study of the Babylonian Talmud together with its [...]

Have Halakha Handbooks Changed Pesikat Halakha? Laws We Don’t Teach in Public

Have Halakha Handbooks Changed Pesikat Halakha?   The Case of Halakha Ve-Ein Morin Ken Be-Rabim by Shlomo Brody Introduction:  The Proliferation of Halakha Handbooks One of the most important developments in halakha over the past couple of decades is the proliferation of halakha handbooks.  Following the model of Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata, dozens of books, in many languages, [...]

Minority Views and the Role of the Mara De-Atra

Minority Views and the Role of the Mara de-Atra1 By Nathaniel Helfgot  There is a tannaitic dispute regarding which aspects of the performance of a circumcision push aside the Sabbath restrictions: R. Akiva maintains that only actions that could not be prepared before the Sabbath are permitted to be done for a circumcision on the [...]

On (Not) Understanding the Reasons Behind Rabbinic Prohibitions: The Case of Teaching Shehiyah

 On (Not) Understanding The Reasons Behind Rabbinic Prohibitions:  The Case of Teaching Shehiyah by Daniel Reifman Teachers of Halakhah are often torn between conflicting agendas: on the one hand, to ensure that students have mastered all the laws relevant to contemporary observance, on the other hand, to familiarize them with a sense of the background—both the [...]

Is Halakha Insensitive to Non-Jews? The Case of Fraud

  Is Halakah Insensitive to Non-Jews? The Case of Fraud By Gidon Rothstein  Certain prohibitions lead to the understandable conclusion that Jews do not care about non-Jews, although in at least some cases that conclusion is false.1 One example is the prohibition of אונאה, of overcharging (or the rarer undercharging) for merchandise.  Bechorot 13a notes the [...]