All Episodes
Displaying 61 - 90 of 114 in total
Burning of the Books: The Alter Rebbe, the Gra, and the Tzimtzum Tussle
In 1796, a work of the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings was consigned to the flames. What were the specific passages in this book that some deemed objectionable? This will he...
The Nile on Trial: 16th-Century Rabbis and Aquatic Science
In 1549, the rabbinical court in Cairo held hearings and engaged in extensive research to learn about the source of the annual flooding of the Nile. The rabbis of the ...
Evolution of the Tanya: Timely Lessons from the Eighteenth-Century Battle against Chasidism
The pre-print manuscripts of Tanya shed light on what the Alter Rebbe added to this seminal text at a later stage. Curiously, three of the most notable updates involve...
When A London Rabbi Was Accused of Heresy
In November 1703, Rabbi David Nieto delivered a controversial sermon at the Bevis Marks Synagogue in London, causing a rift in the local Jewish community. The cause of...
Between Ashkenaz and Sefard: Medieval Women, Biblical Dena, and the Public Square
We can learn about the public presence of women in a given society by examining how various rabbis understood the story of Dina. We’ll witness the difference between A...
The Meaning of Dreaming: Talmudic Perspectives
Are our dreams significant? Do they have predictive value? Should we pay heed to their warnings? The Talmud seems to offer contradictory teachings on this subject, and...
Liturgical Warfare Among 16th-Century Italian Jews
As Italian Jews immigrated to the Ottoman Empire during the sixteenth century, many wanted to switch to the Sephardic liturgical style. The question then was whether i...
Is It Kosher To Elope? Marriage Without Parental Consent
Does the mitzvah of honoring parents imply that parents wield halachic control over their children’s marriage? Intriguingly, this question became a factor in the tensi...
Friday Night Kiddush Between 6 and 7
This class traces the minhag of avoiding the recitation of the Friday night kiddush during the seventh hour after midday. When and why did this custom begin? Friday N...
After A Decade of Barrenness: What Actually Happens
The Talmud famously rules that a childless couple must divorce after ten years of infertility. Yet, this law has often been overlooked, a reality that goes back many c...
The Battle Over Machnisei Rachamim (Part 2)
In the previous episode, we witnessed some of the greatest halachic figures waging war against Machnisei Rachamim and a number of other piyutim. In Part 2, we hear the...
The Battle Over Machnisei Rachamim (Part 1)
It’s a beloved piece of liturgy, recited as we begin the new year. But some of the greatest halachic figures waged war against it, suggesting that it expresses quasi-h...
Buried Alive: The 18th-Century Halachic Debate
In 1772, the Duke of Mecklenburg decreed that Jews could not bury their dead until three days after death. The Jewish community faced difficult questions about the mit...
The Cracow Couple and Rama's Remarkable Responsum
A controversial wedding ceremony ca. 1550 sheds important light on the inner rabbinic process, the history of Jewish marriage, and the limits of rabbinic law. The Cra...
The Rebbe Rashab, Zionism, and Expediting the End
The Rebbe Rashab invoked “dechikas haketz” as one reason to be against Zionism. What are the contours of this prohibition? Does it still apply? The Rebbe Rashab, Zion...
The Barcelona Disputation: Was Moshiach Born on Tisha B’Av?
At two medieval disputations, a famous Midrash was invoked to argue that Moshiach had already come. The rabbinic approaches to this Midrash unveil different approaches...
The Mekashya Mystery
Tunisian Jews used to refer to Tanach as Mekashya, but few understood why. Fortunately, illuminated medieval Jewish manuscripts can help solve this mystery, revealing ...
Does Israel Amount to (the Beginnings of) Kibutz Goliyos?
The Rebbe Rashab addressed this issue when confronted with Zionism, and the Rebbe did the same a few decades later after the State of Israel was established. Does Isr...
The Day After: Reacting to Moshiach’s Not Coming in Chabad History
How have Jewish sages responded when a predicted Messianic time didn’t materialize? Here we focus on this phenomenon within Chabad history. The Day After: Reacting to...
Predicting the Redemption: What About the Talmudic Prohibition?
The Talmud tells us to refrain from predicting when Moshiach will come, and Rambam affirms this ruling in his code of law. But Rambam himself, and so many other rabbin...
The Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 3): The Philosophical Dispute
The abundance of name calling in some of the Dead Sea Scrolls exposes diverging worldviews about how halachic interpretation should operate. The Dead Sea Scrolls (Par...
Paris 1240: Disputation and Devastation
Rabbi Yechiel of Paris was forced to defend the Gemara before a Christian tribunal. Despite his courageous efforts, the Talmud was condemned to the flames. Paris 1240...
The Dead Sea Scrolls (Part 2): An Alternative Jewish Calendar
The Dead Sea Scrolls present a sectarian system for measuring time and celebrating the festivals, and it may help us understand an enigmatic line in our Mishnah. The D...
Gun Control: Talmudic Perspectives
The Supreme Court recently issued a landmark decision regarding the “right to bear arms.” What does Halachah offer on this topic? Gun Control: Talmudic Perspectives
Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? A Talmudic Approach
The first of a three-part series analyzing how the Dead Sea Scrolls can deepen our understanding of the Mishnah and Talmud. Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls? A Talmudic ...
The Scandal of the Missing Line: Allegations of Textual Corruption against Chabad
The Tzemach Tzedek wrote about the proper brachah to make on a talis katan, but some have alleged that we tampered with his text. The Scandal of the Missing Line: Alle...
The Curious Case of the Desert Dead
The Talmud famously recounts how one of its sages discovered the “dead of the desert.” Drawing on a range of sources, the Rebbe explained this Talmudic tale with symbo...
Remembering and Forgetting: The History of Chof Sivan
This day has a sad history of persecution, but also an interesting tendency to be taken seriously at first, only to peter out after some time. Remembering and Forgetti...
The Rebbe’s Reshimas Hamenorah: An Overview
Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yehudah (Rebbi) debated how the furniture in the Beis Hamikdash was situated, and this reflected their philosophies about life. The Rebbe’s Resh...
Spelling Hashem’s Name in Hebrew Manuscripts
We are used to seeing two Yudin as a substitute for G-d’s ineffable name. But it wasn’t always that way. Spelling Hashem’s Name in Hebrew Manuscripts
