Talmudic Readings

David Polsky meticulously analyzes Halakhic sources on the use of force by officers of the law.

The Talmudic story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza is often used to highlight the destructive consequences of baseless hatred. In an intriguing reading, David Hellman suggests that the hatred that motivated the tale’s participants is more complex than meets the eye.

Aton Holzer explores the inscrutability of the Mitzvah of Shofar.

Shimon Laufer examines how Rabbinic understanding of the holiday of Passover influenced the holiday of Purim, and how one of the oldest manuscripts of the Mishnah hints that the converse may be true as well.

What can the Talmud teach us about living through a pandemic? Avi Strausberg argues that it teaches us quite a bit about strengthening acts of kindness and solidarity in our communities.

In their latest for the Lehrhaus, Aryeh and Penina Dienstag study Talmudic narratives that balance the tension between sexual asceticism and pleasure through an overlooked literary motif: angels.

Shlomo Zuckier offers a close literary reading of the fascinating Ketia bar Shalom narrative on Avodah Zarah 10b!

What was the covenant of peace God gave Pinchas? R. Shlomo Zuckier puts the pieces together to find out

Harvard Professor Jon Levenson weighs in on what stops the floodwaters: rabbinic creativity or the Temple!

Shlomo Zuckier explores the nature of Yom Kippur and its relationship to atonement.