Category Archives: Ruminations

Black Like a Raven: Menstruation and Aesthetics

Posted on April 22, 2013 by

With my book, The Iranian Talmud: Reading the Bavli in its Sasanian Context (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press) in production and due out later this year, I have finally been able to return to research I first conducted for my … Continue reading →

Posted in Gender, Readings, Ruminations | Tagged , | 17 Comments

W(h)ither Rabbinics

Posted on October 12, 2012 by

As contemporary academics, many of us are both cursed and  blessed with a chronic condition of acute-hyper-self-awareness. We cannot simply do what it is that we do. We must question, prod, examine, and analyze our vocation and ourselves to death. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Club, Ruminations | 10 Comments

The Talmud in the Digital Age: Fragments From the Cutting Room Floor- Shai Secunda and Elli Fischer

Posted on September 13, 2012 by

The most recent issue of the Jewish Review of Books is now on the stands and online. On the cover of the magazine there is an endearing drawing (below) by Mark Anderson of three cheder kids completely entranced by an … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruminations, Technology | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

On the Arabic Talmud

Posted on July 5, 2012 by

I cannot remember exactly when I initially heard about the first complete translation of the Babylonian Talmud into Arabic, but I can remember what I felt: excitement, bewilderment, curiosity, and, I must confess, the quickening of my liberal heart.  From the first … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruminations | Tagged | 6 Comments

What is a Redactor?

Posted on June 26, 2012 by

We are often told that a good scholar has to consistently and continually question the validity of his/her basic assumptions. The problem is that many times an assumption is so inherent to our thinking, that it is easy to mistake … Continue reading →

Posted in Mythologies, Ruminations, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

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

Between Words and Ideas in the Reading of The Bavli

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

Amidst much fanfare, immigration lawyer and daf-yomi class teacher Daniel Retter published his index of the Babylonian Talmud, dubbed HaMafteach in both Hebrew and in English. As someone who often studies Talmud on the Sabbath and misses the various digital search … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Ruminations, Technology | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Reading the Talmud in France

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

Many people ask me why I chose France when I decided to write my PhD dissertation on rabbinic literature. It is a very good question since there are only a handful of Talmud specialists in this country, and they are hardly … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruminations | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

The Walking Book

Posted on February 28, 2012 by

The other week, Leil Leibovitz lodged a complaint against the e-sefer and bemoaned the way that the iPad and its peers strip away the sense of holiness from the traditional experience of studying Talmud. Leibovitz laments the loss of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Postscripts, Ruminations, Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged | 5 Comments

Crib Sheet

Posted on February 16, 2012 by

Ah, finals… In Israel, the period bears multiple names- “bein hasemesterim“, “hufsha“, “tekufat hamivkhanim“, none of which seem to fully own up to the fact that the average BA student has four weeks to complete coursework for around eight classes … Continue reading →

Posted in Ruminations | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments