Monthly Archives: May 2012

Two Unusual Traditions in Piyyutim for Shavuot

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

Shavout is just around the corner and I present in this post two most unusual traditions that appear in piyyutim for the holiday: Were Hillel and Shamai brothers? On June 8, 1951 Menachem Zulay published in the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz two late … Continue reading →

Posted in Piyut, Readings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Revolution or an Evolution? A Review of Bar Ilan Responsa Project 20- Guest Post by Josh Yuter

Posted on May 20, 2012 by

At the end of tractate Horayot (14a), Rabbi Yohanan recounts a Tannaitic dispute between R. Shimon Ben Gamliel and his colleagues over which type of intelligence is superior: being knowledable in the sources or being “able to move mountains” through … Continue reading →

Posted in Guest Posts, Reviews | 8 Comments

Iranica Antiqua 47: More on the Hebrew inscription on Ardashir’s Tunic

Posted on May 18, 2012 by

The latest Iranica Antiqua has just been published online.  The Talmud Blog generally does not announce the publication of every journal from the field of Iranian Studies (or Late Antiquity, Early Christianity, etc etc), even though this might be of use … Continue reading →

Posted in Readings, Recent Publications | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trying to Understand Scribal Practices

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Among the many advantages of studying in Jerusalem are the many wonderful opportunities for class-outings. Not since elementary school have I been on so many field trips. Last week, I managed to get myself on a tour of The Shrine of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruminations, Talk of the Town | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Potty Mouth

Posted on May 15, 2012 by

Looking for material for my MA thesis, “Injuries and Battery in Tannaitic Law” – and thus avoiding working on the actual thesis – I came across this entertaining snippet from the recently published S. Emanuel, Teshuvot Maharam meRothenburg vaHaveirav, §308 (pp. 641-642, … Continue reading →

Posted in Readings | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

A Monumental Loss for Jewish Learning- Guest Post by Moriah Be’er Chriki, Yedidah Koren and Davida Klein Velleman

Posted on May 9, 2012 by

This post, crossposted from The Times of Israel, is the first in a series on the state of advanced Talmud study for women.  In a world just opening its eyes to the possibility of women’s advanced and committed Torah study, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender, Guest Posts | 8 Comments

Conference Review: Legal Heterodoxy in Islamic and Jewish History: Late Antique and Medieval Transformations, University of California, Berkeley, April 23-24- Guest Post by Marc Herman

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

I confess that I arrived at the conference last week with a healthy dose of skepticism.  Though billed as a treatment of “Legal Heterodoxy in Islamic and Jewish History,” I worried that the conference’s subtitle and chronological frame, “Late Antique and Medieval Transformations,” lightly masked a … Continue reading →

Posted in Conferences | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Afghani ‘Geniza’

Posted on May 1, 2012 by

A few months ago, news broke in the Israeli media of an important manuscript trove that was discovered in Afghanistan. A spate of articles appeared in the press, each one covering just a bit more than the one prior it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Mishna, Piyut, Talk of the Town, Talmud in the News | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments