In today's Daf, we finally come to the law of food fights - and like many Talmudic discussions, the laws are complex and very context specific. We debate which foods…
Month: May 2021
The Oral Tradition and the Talmud – Berakhot 49
I am not sure we understand an oral tradition today. Specifically, in the Jewish context, mass printing has allowed us to standardize texts and rituals across time. Today, a Jew…
Bad Kids and the Talmud – Berakhot 48
Today's Daf opens with a really troubling passage, "Small pumpkins are discernible when they burst forth from their sap." This aphorism comes in a discussion of whether minors may be…
Uneducated People and the Talmud – Berakhot 47
Although I consider myself Jewish, I do not strictly follow the rules of Rabbinic Judaism. I do not keep kosher. I am not Shomer Shabbos. I could go on and…
The Short One with Singed Thighs and the Talmud – Berakhot 46
Today we are introduced to Rabbi Zeira - the short one with the singed thighs. Rabbi Zeira was also known as the Black Pot or the Pious Babylonian. He was…