Text-based classes on assorted Judaic topics, with a special emphasis on Jewish history.
New episodes every week.
Made Possible by Unzer-Chadash Shul, Brooklyn NY.
Latest Episodes
Wine: Blind Tastes, Price Controls, and the Most Regulated Wine Market You’ve Ever Seen
This class takes us inside the Jewish wine economy of earlier centuries. We will see communities enforcing price ceilings, outlawing seller collusion, and appointing a...
Isaiah 53 on Trial: The 1863 Vienna Case That Split Jewish Leadership
In the mid-1860s, a wave of rabbinic correspondence swept across central and eastern Europe as leading rabbis grappled with a vexing dilemma: how to respond to an anti...
The Hostage Dilemma: Part IV (Israel, 1979–1987)
In this final class of the series, we explore the Rebbe’s comments about Israel’s lopsided hostage deals during the late 1970s and 1980s, alongside the perspectives of...
The Hostage Dilemma: Part III (Israel, 1970–1976)
In this class (third of a four-part series), we look at the halachic debate over freeing hostages as it unfolded in Israel during the 1970s. After the September 1970 t...
The Hostage Dilemma: Part II
Today, we’re returning to the topic of hostages in Jewish history. Last time, we spent most of our attention on the exceptions to the rule. This time, we’re looking at...
