Index of Talmud Posts, by Tractate

Index of Posts, by Primary Work (Bible, Mishnah, Midrash, Talmud) and Category

For index of non-Talmud posts, see here.

Table of Contents

1. Berakhot

2. shabbat

3. eruvin

4. pesachim

5. rosh-hashanah

6. yoma

7. sukkah

8. beitzah

9. taanit

10. megillah

11. moed-katan

12. chagigah

13. yevamot

14. ketubot

15. nedarim

16. sotah

17. gittin

18. kiddushin

19. bava-kamma

20. bava-metzia

21. bava-batra

22. sanhedrin

23. makkot

24. shevuot

25. avodah-zarah

26. horayot

27. menachot

28. chullin

29. bekhorot

30. arakhin

31. temurah

32. keritot

33. meilah

34. tamid

35. niddah

general-talmud-topics-talmudic-studies-and-interpretation

Berakhot

ברכות פרק א ("מאימתי")

The Daily Moment of Divine Anger: Timing, Restraint, and Repentance (Berakhot 7a)

Talmudic Theodicy: Moses’ Requests, Divine Responses, and the Mystery of Divine Justice (Berakhot 7a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Hezekiah’s Illness and Isaiah’s Visit in Isaiah 38: A Clash of Piety and Prophecy (Berakhot 10a-b)

ברכות פרק ב ("היה קורא")

Prayer, Poetry, and Ethics: A Journey Through Seventeen Talmudic Prayers and Ethical Teachings (Berakhot 16b-17a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

ברכות פרק ג ("מי שמתו")

Between Heaven and Earth: The Tale of Shmuel and the Orphans’ Money (Berakhot 18b)

ברכות פרק ד ("תפילת השחר")

Power, Pedagogy, and Internal Rabbinic Politics: The Deposition of Rabban Gamliel, the Appointment of R' Elazar ben Azarya, and Eventual Reconciliation (Berakhot 27b-28a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix: From the Diaspora to the Holy of Holies – The Seven Levels of Prayer Focus (Berakhot 30a)]

ברכות פרק ה ("אין עומדין")

[Appendix - The Magnitude of Creation: God's Declaration to Israel of the Vast Celestial Order (Berakhot 32b)]

ברכות פרק ו ("כיצד מברכין")

Abundance in Ancient Israel: Talmudic Accounts of Extraordinary Fruits and Families (Berakhot 44a)

ברכות פרק ז ("שלשה שאכלו")

[Appendix 3 - Mar Zutra’s Prayer in Response to Tragedy: Acknowledging Divine Justice and Seeking Restoration (Berakhot 46b)]

[Appendix 1: Definitions of Am Ha’aretz; Rami bar Ḥama’s Assessment of Rav Menashya bar Taḥlifa as an Am Ha’aretz and Its Deadly Consequences (Berakhot 47b)]

[10 to 11 Things Said About the Cup of Blessing (Berakhot 51a)]

ברכות פרק ט ("הרואה")

From Animal Attacks to Biblical Miracles: Blessings at the Sites of Supernatural Rescues (Berakhot 54a)

Gratitude After Adversity: The Obligation of Thanksgiving for Seafarers, Desert Travelers, the Recovered, and the Freed, Rooted in Psalm 107 (Berakhot 54b)

[Appendix: Vulnerability and Longevity: Rav Yehuda's Teachings on Protection and Life-Extending Practices (Berakhot 54b)]

[10 to 11 Things That Cause Hemorrhoids (Berakhot 55a)]

Rituals for Favorable Dream Manifestation and Protection from the Evil Eye (Berakhot 55b)

[Appendix - Timing the Disclosure of Illness to the Public: Balancing Avoiding Bad Luck and Harnessing Public Sympathy and Schadenfreude (Berakhot 55b)]

Selected Dream Interpretations, Especially Those Relating to Illicit Sex (Berakhot 56a-57b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Sensory Delights and Echoes of the Divine: The Talmud on Pleasures, Omens, Health and Microcosms (Berakhot 57b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[10 to 12 Things That Trigger a More Severe Relapse in a Recovering Patient (Berakhot 57b)]

From Babylon’s Ruins to Jewish Multitudes: Talmudic Blessings for Idolatry, Crowds, and Leadership (Berakhot 57b-58a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Earthly and Divine Majesty: Encounters with Kings, Justice, and the Reflection of Heaven on Earth (Berakhot 58a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Celestial Phenomena: Comets and Constellations in the Talmud (Mishnah Berakhot 9:2; Berakhot 58b-59a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Unusual In His Skin: Talmudic Discourse on the Cushi and other Types of People With Notable Physical Appearances (Berakhot 58b and Moed Katan 16b)

[Appendix 1 - Organ Functions: A List of Thirteen Organs and Their Functions (Berakhot 61a-b)]

Demons, Direction, and Decorum: A Talmudic Approach to Hygiene and Outhouse Use (Berakhot 61b-62b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

The Four Sermons of the Mid-Second Century Sages in Yavne: On Hospitality (Xenia) and the Honor of Torah Sages (Berakhot 63b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix 3: Patience and Destiny in Leadership: Rabba and Rav Yosef (Berakhot 64a)]

Shabbat

שבת פרק א ("יציאות השבת")

Even if all the seas would be ink: Further Poetry of the Talmud (Shabbat 11a; Berakhot 17a; Moed Katan 25b)

שבת פרק ב ("במה מדליקין")

Rituals, Riches, and a Deadly Deception: Shabbat Preparations, the Definitions of ‘Goodness’ and ‘Wealth,’ and the Collection of Balsam and Murex (Shabbat 25b-26a)

The Biblical Books Nearly Suppressed: Reconciling Contradictions in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs (Shabbat 30b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Explosive Endings: Two Talmudic Tales of Supernaturally Killing Via Explosion (Shabbat 30b and Moed Katan 17a-b)

Hillel’s Three Converts: Lessons in Patience, the Oral Torah, and the Golden Rule (Shabbat 31a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Hillel vs. the Heckler: A Friday Afternoon Challenge to Hillel’s Composure and Physical Anthropology in the Talmud (Shabbat 31a)

[Appendix: The Six Orders of the Mishnah and the Six Questions Asked in Divine Judgment (Shabbat 31a)]

‘Due to Sin [X], Occurs [Y]’: Divine Justice and Human Responsibility for Suffering and Death (Shabbat 32b-33a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Bodily Afflictions and Illnesses as Signs of Sin: Wounds, Edema (Hidrokan), and Diphtheria (Askara) (Shabbat 33a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix 2 - The Price of Speech: R' Yehuda, R' Yosei, and R' Shimon's Fateful Debate on Roman Rule (Shabbat 33b)]

R’ Shimon’s Flight from the Romans, Hiding, and Return: A Story of Persecution, Miracles, and Retribution (Shabbat 33b-34a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

שבת פרק ה ("במה בהמה")

Sustenance and the Strange: Grotesque Talmudic Accounts of Miracles, Deformity, and Domestic Survival (Shabbat 53b)

Divine Symbols and Historical Shifts: The Significance of the ‘Tav’ Mark in Ezekiel and the Precise Moment of the Patriarchs' Merit's End (Shabbat 55a)

‘Whoever says that [X] sinned is mistaken’: Reinterpretations of Sins In Defense of the Biblical Righteous (Shabbat 55b-56a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix - Solomon and Josiah Didn’t Sin (Shabbat 56b)]

[Appendix - Shmuel’s father’s strict practices for his daughters (Shabbat 65a)]

שבת פרק ח ("המוציא יין")

“Asking Anything in the Entire World”: A Talmudic Sugya of Zoological Questions and Intuitive Etymologies of Aramaic Words (Shabbat 77b)

[Appendix 2 - Animal-Based Natural Remedies and Weak Creatures That Intimidate the Mighty (Shabbat 77b)]

שבת פרק ט ("[אמר] רבי עקיבא")

The Giving of the Torah in Exodus 19: Timing, Preparation, and Moses' Bold Decisions (Shabbat 86b-87a)

[Appendix - Ten “Firsts” on the Day of the Tabernacle Inauguration in Exodus 40:17 - (Shabbat 87b = Seder Olam Rabbah Chapter 7)]

[Appendix 2 - Traits of the Righteous: “Those insulted but do not retaliate, who love and rejoice in suffering, are like the sun in its strength” - Judges 5:31 (Shabbat 88b)]

Conditionality of Creation, Crowns, and Commitment: the Cosmic Significance of the Giving of the Torah and the Revelation at Sinai (Shabbat 88a-89a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Humanity's Deserving of the Torah on Trial: Moses Convincingly Argues That the Ten Commandments Are Irrelevant For Angels (Shabbat 88b-89a)

שבת פרק יב ("הבונה")

“The likes of which were not said even in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun”: Talmudic Homiletics on the Hebrew Alphabet (Shabbat 104a)

1. Pt1 - Names and Shapes of Letters

2. Pt2 - Letter Transformations

‘Where in Scripture is Notarikon Found?’: Talmudic Interpretation of Biblical Words as Acronyms (Shabbat 105a)

שבת פרק יד ("שמונה שרצים")

Rav’s Arrival in Babylonia, Karna’s Test, and Shmuel’s Remedy: A Tale of Testing Scholarship and Curses (Shabbat 108a)

A Sugya of Talmudic Medicine, with Historical, Linguistic, and Botanical Notes (Shabbat 108b-109a)

Dealing with Dangerous Snakes: Swallowing, Bites, Pursuits, and Attacks (Shabbat 109b-110a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Of Serpents and Sages: The Stories of the Snakebite Deaths of Ben Dama and the Pumbedita Official (Avodah Zarah 27b; Shabbat 109b-110a)

Book of Ruth 2-3 Through Talmudic Eyes: Intelligence, Modesty, and Davidic Descendants (Shabbat 113b-114a)

שבת פרק טז ("כל כתבי")

[Appendix 2 - The Story on the Temple Mount of Rabban Gamliel and the Aramaic Translation of Job (Shabbat 115a)]

A Talmudic Story Mocking a Corrupt Christian Philosopher (Shabbat 116a-b)

Fifteen Sequential Reflections of Rabbi Yosei on His Life and Values (Shabbat 118b): Aspirations and Personal Conduct in His Own Words

To Kill or Not to Kill: Scorpions, Snakes, and Other Dangerous Creatures on Shabbat (Shabbat 121b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

שבת פרק יט ("רבי אליעזר דמילה")

[Exceptions from circumcision on Shabbat (Shabbat 134b-135a)]

שבת פרק כ ("תולין")

[Appendix 1 - The Sages of Yavne and the Foretold Intellectual Famine: Loss of Halakha, Messianic Knowlege, and Prophecy (Shabbat 138b)]

A Sequence of Twelve Statements of Practical Advice to Young Yeshiva Students by Rav Ḥisda (Shabbat 140b)

Why Are Babylonian Birds Fat? Eretz Yisrael Amoraim Probe the Seemingly Superior Babylonia (Shabbat 145b)

[Appendix 2 - Prohibitions on Reading Inscriptions and Gazing at Idolatrous Images: Shabbat Restrictions and the Ban on Looking at Pagan Statues (Shabbat 149a)]

'That Wicked One': A Grotesque Talmudic Portrait of Nebuchadnezzar Based on the Parable against the King of Babylon in Isaiah 14 (Shabbat 149b-150a)

שבת פרק כג ("שואל")

Snowy Mountains and Three Legs: Aphorisms and Metaphorical Portraits of Aging in the Talmud (Shabbat 152a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

From Eunuch-ville to Bald-town: A Eunuch and R' Yehoshua the Bald Trade Insults Over Physical Shortcomings (Shabbat 152a)

שבת פרק כד ("מי שהחשיך")

Astrological Destinies in the Talmud: Influence of Birth Timings on Character (Shabbat 156a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Stars, Serpents, and Salvation: Three Talmudic Tales of Astrological Fate and Divine Intervention (Shabbat 156b)

Eruvin

עירובין פרק א ("מבוי שהוא גבוה")

[The iron sulfate (Kankantom) Controversy: R’ Meir Between R’ Akiva and R’ Yishmael (Eruvin 13a)]

עירובין פרק ב ("עושין פסין")

[Appendix 2 - The Dynamics of Sinners and Divine Punishment (Eruvin 19a)]

Mapping the Afterlife: The Locations of the Entrances to Gehenna and the Garden of Eden, and the Names of Gehenna (Eruvin 19a)

עירובין פרק ד ("מי שהוציאוהו")

[Appendix 2 - Extreme Poverty, Intestinal Illness, and Other Causes of Distress and Their Implications: Perspectives on Overwhelming Forces, Exemption from Gehenna, and Sudden Death (Eruvin 41b)]

עירובין פרק ה ("כיצד מעברין")

From Broad Doorways to Needle's Eye: Generational Decline in Wisdom According to the Talmud (Eruvin 53a)

From Mnemonics to Miscommunication: A Talmudic Comparative Study of Judean and Galilean Aramaic Speech, Torah Study Methods, and Sociolinguistics (Eruvin 53a-b)

Clever Speech: Seven Talmudic Riddles, Rebuses, and Bilingual Wordplays (Eruvin 53b)

Wisdom from the Margins: Clever Women and Children in Talmudic Tales (Eruvin 53b)

עירובין פרק ו ("הדר")

Bread, Vows, Witchcraft, and Intoxication: Insights from Rabban Gamliel's Journeys (Eruvin 64b-65a)

Pesachim

פסחים פרק א ("אור לארבעה עשר")

Searching for Leaven with Lamps: Symbolism and Function in Bedikat Ḥametz (Pesachim 7b-8a)

פסחים פרק ב ("כל שעה")

‘Leḥem Oni’ vs. Luxury: ‘The Bread of Affliction’ and the Halakhic Boundaries of Passover Matza (Pesachim 35b-37b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

פסחים פרק ג ("(ו)אלו עוברין")

Rabbinic Elitism and the Am Ha’aretz: Hierarchy, Hostility, Hatred, and Distrust (Pesachim 49b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

פסחים פרק ד ("מקום שנהגו")

[10 to 13 Things Created on Friday Afternoon at the Close of the Six Days of Creation, Just Before Shabbat (Pesachim 54a)]

[Seven things were created before the world itself: Torah, repentance, Eden, Gehenna, God’s throne, the Temple, and the name of the Messiah (Pesachim 54a)]

[List of 7 Types of Info Withheld From Human Awareness (Pesachim 54b)]

[3 to 4 Things That Entered God's Mind to Create (Pesachim 54b)]

פסחים פרק ה ("תמיד נשחט")

“Teach me the Book of Genealogies”: Anecdote of R' Simlai and R' Yoḥanan (Pesachim 62b)

Crowds, Crushes, and Censuses: Talmudic Historical Anecdotes of The Pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover in the Late Second Temple Period (Pesachim 64b)

פסחים פרק ח ("האשה")

The Divine Providence of Galut: A Talmudic Perspective on the Jewish Diaspora As A Shield Against Genocide of the Jewish Nation (Pesachim 87b)

[Two Fundamental Debates in Astronomy between Jewish and non-Jewish Scholars (Pesachim 94b)]

פסחים פרק י ("ערבי פסחים")

[Appendix 2 - Debates on Eating and Appetite on Passover Eve (Pesachim 107b-108a)]

Perilous Pairs: More on the Dangers of Pairs, Demons, and Witchcraft (Pesachim 110a-b)

Pairs, Planks, and Potions: Three Talmudic Tales of Witchcraft (Pesachim 110b and Sanhedrin 67b)

Demon-Infested Shadows: Sorb Trees, Amulets, and Exorcism (Pesachim 111b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Rabbinic Advice: Practical Guidance from the Talmud (Pesachim 112a-114a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Lives, Loves, and Hatreds: Psychological and Social Commentary on Human Behaviors, Group Dynamics, and Animal Traits (Pesachim 113b)

Expressions of praise in the Book of Psalms and the Origin of the Hallel Prayer (Pesachim 117a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix 1 - Linguistic Debates Over the Word "Halleluya" and Related Theophoric Words (Pesachim 117a)]

[Gabriel Saving Biblical Figures from Furnaces: Abraham from Nimrod’s Furnace, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from Nebuchadnezzar’s Furnace (Pesachim 118a-b)]

[Appendix - Rav Yehuda citing Shmuel - “All the silver and gold in the world”: The Historical Chain of Global Wealth Transfers, from Joseph to Rome - over the course of 14 steps and 1500 years (Pesachim 119a)]

Rosh Hashanah

ראש השנה פרק א ("ארבעה ראשי שנים")

Tishrei or Nisan? A Core Tannaitic Dispute on the Dating of Biblical Events - An Experiment in Formatting the Talmud As Footnotes to a Tannaitic Text (Rosh Hashanah 11a-b)

[Appendix 2 - Iyyar or Marḥeshvan? Dispute between R' Eliezer and R' Yehoshua Regarding the date of Noah’s Flood (Rosh Hashanah 11b-12a)]

[Divergent chronological systems in Jewish and Non-Jewish traditions (Rosh Hashanah 12a)]

[Appendix - The Divine Books that Record Human Righteous and Sinful Activity (Rosh Hashanah 16b)]

ראש השנה פרק ב ("אם אינן מכירין")

“Once, the Boethusians tried to mislead the Sages”: The Story of a Double Agent Giving Fantastical Testimony of the New Moon (Rosh Hashanah 22b)

6,000 Men and a Sunken Ship: The Talmud's Curious Chronicle of the Roman Method of Coral Harvesting (Rosh Hashanah 23a)

Sanctifying the Moon: Tales of Rabban Gamliel’s Ancestral Traditions, Dirt-Throwing, and a Message About the Enduring King David (Rosh Hashanah 25a)

ראש השנה פרק ג ("ראוהו בית דין")

A Sequence of Eleven Stories of Talmudic Rabbis as Empirical Linguists (Rosh Hashanah 26a-b)

Yoma

יומא פרק א ("שבעת ימים")

“My God! I hate you”: Reish Lakish and R' Yoḥanan on the Consequences of Babylonian Partial Aliyah During Ezra's Era (Yoma 9b)

The Talmudic Identifications of Some Nations and Cities in the Biblical Table of Nations in Genesis 10 (Yoma 10a)

“Today is Yom Kippur, and several virgins had sex in Neharde’a”: Anecdotes of Sinning on Yom Kippur (Yoma 19b-20a)

Tremendously Loud Sounds: Gabini's Cries, the Sun's Orbit, Rome's Crowds, and More (Yoma 20b-21a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

יומא פרק ג ("אמר להם הממונה")

[Appendix 2 - ‘Yeshiva’ (formal Torah study) always existed - A List of 6 major periods and personalities from the Pentateuch (Yoma 28b): the Biblical Patriarchs, and in Egypt and in the Wilderness]

[Appendix - Extravagant Priestly Garments and Their Limitations: R' Yishmael ben Pabi's Tunic and R' Elazar ben Ḥarsum's Transparent Tunic (Yoma 35b)]

Extreme Poverty, Wealth, and Attractiveness as No Excuse Not to Study Torah: The Examples of Hillel, Elazar ben Ḥarsum, and Joseph (Yoma 35b)

Guardians of Temple Incense: The Eutinas Clan and Their Secret Craft (Yoma 38a)

יומא פרק ד ("טרף בקלפי")

Prophecy, Omens, and Miracles: Shimon HaTzaddik and the Foreshadowing of the Second Temple's Destruction (Yoma 39a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

יומא פרק ה ("הוציאו לו")

[Appendix 3 - Indeterminate Verse Division and Interpretive Ambiguity: Five Ambiguous Verses in the Pentateuch (Genesis 4:7, 49:7; Exodus 17:9, 25:34; Deuteronomy 31:16; Yoma 52a-b)]

[Appendix 3 - The Concealing of the Ark and Other Temple Items (Yoma 52b)]

יומא פרק ז ("בא לו (כהן גדול)")

Taming the Fire and The Cost of Desire: The Dramatic Talmudic Story of the Quelling of Human Inclinations for Idolatry and Incest (Yoma 69b = Sanhedrin 64a)

יומא פרק ח ("יום הכיפורים")

Bread in the Basket, Eyes on the Plate: Talmudic Psychology (Yoma 74b-75a)

[Vision, Sin, and Judgment: Angelic Intervention and Ezekiel’s Temple Visions in Ezekiel 8 and 10 (Yoma 76b-77a)]

Heavenly Politics: Gabriel, Dubiel, and the Persian Tax Regime (Yoma 77a)

The Purse, the Grave, and the Lentil: A Dramatic Talmudic Tale of Trust and Treachery (Yoma 83b)

Sukkah

סוכה פרק ב ("הישן תחת המטה")

[Appendix - Hillel’s 80 students, and Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakkai’s Encyclopedic Knowledge: A List of 11 Domains of Knowledge (Sukkah 28a)]

[Appendix 2 - Cosmic Consequences of Social Injustice and Arrogance (Sukkah 29a-b)]

[Solar eclipses occur due to four societal failures: failure to eulogize a chief justice; ignoring a betrothed young woman’s public cries (during rape); homosexuality; the simultaneous murder of two brothers (Sukkah 29a-b)]

סוכה פרק ד ("לולב וערבה")

Joy, Waterskin, and Students of Jesus: Talmudic Wordplay on the Names of Heretics (Sukkah 48b; Sanhedrin 43a)

סוכה פרק ה ("החליל")

Basilica, Stoa, and Cathedra: A Historical and Linguistic Analysis of the Talmudic Passage on the Synagogue of Alexandria (Sukkah 51b)

Four Craftsmen, Seven Shepherds, and Eight Princes: Talmudic Identifications of Biblical Messianic Figures in Eschatological Prophecies (Sukkah 52b)

A man's feet take him to the place where he is needed: The Story of the Deaths of Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha, scribes of Solomon (I Kings 4:3 and Sukkah 53a)

Juggling, Acrobatics, and a Rigorous Schedule: Talmudic Stories from the Temple's Simchat Beit HaShoeivah (Sukkah 53a)

King David, the Altar Drainpipes, and the Tehom: The Dramatic Tale of How He Nearly Unleashed a Global Flood but Successfully Averted It (Sukkah 49a; 53a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Beitzah

ביצה פרק ג ("אין צדין")

Sages on Sedans: Anecdotes of Talmudic Personalities Being Carried on Litters (Beitzah 25b)

Taanit

תענית פרק ג ("סדר תעניות אלו")

Nakdimon ben Guryon, the Roman Hegemon, and the Water Loan Miracle in the Late Second Temple Period (Taanit 19b-20a)

[Appendix - Three people had the sun altered on their behalf: Moses, Joshua, and Nakdimon (Taanit 20a)]

Heavenly Greetings: The Righteousness of a Bloodletter (Taanit 21b-22a)

Our Man of Bei Lapat: The Tale of The Prison Warden of Khuzistan (Taanit 22a)

Supernatural Fruit and Fatal Beauty: R' Yosei of Yokrat, the “merciless” sage who wished his son and daughter to die (Taanit 23b-24a)

From Desperation to Downpour: Talmudic Stories of Rainmaking (Taanit 24a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

תענית פרק ד ("בשלשה פרקים")

The Origins of Tisha B’Av and the Chronology of Numbers 10-14: the Date of the Destructions of the Both Temples and the Biblical Spies Episode (Taanit 29a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

“The Man with the Nose is Wanted”: The Talmudic Story of Tineius Rufus and Rabban Gamliel (Taanit 29a)

Historical Puzzles and Possible Interpretations of the Encounter Between 'Turnus Rufus' and 'Rabban Gamliel' in the Talmud (Taanit 29a)

[Appendix - Prohibited Activities on Tisha B'Av, Including Restrictions on Torah Study (Taanit 30a)]

Megillah

מגילה פרק א ("מגילה נקראת")

[Appendix 3 - Onkelos’ Aramaic Translation of the Torah (=Pentateuch), and the Dramatic Story of Yonatan ben Uzziel’s Aramaic Translation of the the Prophets Section of the Bible (Megillah 3a)]

72 Translators, 15 Alterations: the Greek Translation of the Torah Commissioned by King Ptolemy (Megillah 9a-b)

Thematic Introductions to the Book of Esther in the Talmud (Megillah 10b-11a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Ahasuerus and the Kingship of the World (Esther 1:1; Megillah 11a-b)

Chronology, Calculations, and Royal Reigns: The 70 Years of Babylonian Exile Between the First and Second Temples (Esther 1:2, Jeremiah 29:10, Daniel 9:2; Megillah 11b-12a)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther

1. Esther 1:3-9 (Megillah 12a)

2. Esther 1:10-14 (Megillah 12b)

3. Esther 1:16-2:5 (Megillah 12b)

4. Esther 2:6-20 (Megillah 13a)

5. Esther 2:20-3:7 (Megillah 13b)

6. Esther 3:8-3:11 (Megillah 13b-14a)

The Seven Prophetesses of Israel (Megillah 14a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther (continued)

1. Esther 4:1-5:2 (Megillah 15a-b)

2. Esther 5:6-6:10 (Megillah 15b-16a)

[Appendix - Divine Reward, Spiritual Discipline, and the Merit of Torah Study in the Future Judgment - Isaiah 28:5-7 (Megillah 15b)]

The Humiliation of Haman: The Dramatic Talmudic Elaboration of the Biblical Verse of Haman Carrying out King Ahasuerus's Orders to Honor Mordecai (Esther 6:11-12; Megillah 16a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther (continued)

1. Esther 6:13-7:10 (Megillah 16a)

2. Esther 8:16-10:3 (Megillah 16b)

מגילה פרק ד ("בני העיר")

[Appendix - The Prohibition of Using Torah and Torah Scholars for Personal Benefit (Megillah 28b)]

Moed Katan

מועד קטן פרק א ("משקין בית השלחין")

Two Talmudic Stories of Cryptic Blessings and Their Interpretation (Moed Katan 9a-b)

From Kohl to Lime: A Talmudic Discussion of Cosmetics and Hair Removal (Moed Katan 9b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

מועד קטן פרק ג ("ואלו מגלחין")

From Admonishment to Excommunication: The Talmudic Laws of Ostracism (Moed Katan 16a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

The Laughing Sage and the Stung Scholar: The Story of the Osctracism of the Rabbi With the Bad Reputation (Moed Katan 17a)

A Cycle of Five Elegeic Poems in the Talmud (Moed Katan 25b)

Jehoiakim's Arrogance: Rejecting the Warnings of Lamentations and Burning Its Names of God (Lamentations 1:1-5; Moed Katan 26a)

“Prepare shrouds for yourself": Community Responsibility for a Corpse, and the Deadly Consequences of Excessive Mourning (Moed Katan 27b)

Chagigah

חגיגה פרק א ("הכל חייבין")

Three Stories: Mistaken Death Caused by the Angel of Death's agent; R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya and a Heretic in Caesar’s Palace; and Rav Kahana’s Voyeuristic Eavesdropping on Rav (Chagigah 4b-5b)

חגיגה פרק ב ("אין דורשין")

Talmudic Cosmology (Ma'aseh Bereshit): Earth's Foundations, the Seven Heavens, and Cosmic Dimensions (Chagigah 12b-13a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Annotated List of Talmudic Figures Known as 'Ben X' or 'Bar X,' and Stories of Ben Zoma (Chagigah 14b-15a)

[Appendix 1 - The Survival of R' Akiva in the Pardes (Chagigah 15b-16a)]

[Appendix - The Dual Nature of Demons and Humans (Chagigah 16a)]

Yevamot

יבמות פרק ו ("הבא על יבמתו")

What Counts as Sex? Defining the Beginning and Completion of Intercourse in the Talmud (Yevamot 55b)

Preparing Her Mouth and "Turning Her Back": The Talmud on the “The Bad Wife” (Yevamot 63b)

Stories of Marriage, Mortality, and Mishaps: The Talmud’s Views on Consecutive Calamities (Yevamot 64b)

יבמות פרק יא ("נושאין על האנוסה")

‘A Non-Jew Has No Father’: The Halachic Status of Convert Brothers and Their Wives in the Context of Levirate Marriage and Sexual Prohibitions (Yevamot 97b-98a)

יבמות פרק טז ("האשה בתרא")

“Endless Water”: Eight Stories of Uncertain Drowning of a Husband in the Context of Remarriage (Yevamot 121a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

"Alas!": Thirteen Additional Stories Regarding the Reliability and Validity of Testimony About a Husband’s Death in the Context of Remarriage (Yevamot 121b-122b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Ketubot

כתובות פרק א ("בתולה נשאת")

[Appendix - Blessings on Betrothal and Marriage (Ketubot 7b-8a)]

Mourning Rituals and Communal Practices: Blessings, Wine, and Rabban Gamliel’s Burial Reform (Ketubot 8b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

כתובות פרק ב ("האשה שנתארמלה")

Captivity and Purity: The Story of Shmuel’s Daughters (Ketubot 23a)

[Burden of Proof: The Case of the Violent Mari bar Isak (Ketubot 27b)]

כתובות פרק ה ("אף על פי")

[Appendix - Foods That Harm a Nursing Mother's Milk (Ketubot 60b)]

Wine, Women, and Widowhood: A Talmudic Exploration of Behavior and Stipends (Ketubot 65a)

כתובות פרק ו ("מציאת האשה")

“Gathering Barley from the Arabs' Animals' Dung": The Dramatic Fall from Grace of Nakdimon ben Guryon’s Daughter (Ketubot 66b-67a)

“Huna, our friend, we wish you peace!”: The Story of a Tense Correspondence between Rav Anan and Rav Huna (Ketubot 69a-b)

The Greatness of Residing in Eretz Yisrael, and the Future Messianic Resurrection (Ketubot 111a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix 1 - Rabba’s Brothers Advise Him in a Letter (Ketubot 111a-b)]

[Appendix 2 - Anecdotes of rabbis’ immigration to Eretz Yisrael, and practices there (Ketubot 112a-b)]

Nedarim

נדרים פרק ב ("ואלו מותרין")

Talmudic Perspectives on Marital Sex: Behaviors, Consequences, and Ethics (Nedarim 20a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

נדרים פרק ג ("ארבעה נדרים")

[Appendix - Hyperbolic Vows and the Giant Snake in the time of King Shapur (Nedarim 25a)]

נדרים פרק ו ("הנודר מן המבושל")

Fingers, Forks, and Faces: Tales of R' Yehuda (Nedarim 49b-50a)

R' Yehuda HaNasi and Bar Kappara: Talmudic Stories of Humor, Wealth, and Reflection (Nedarim 50b-51a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

The Fatal Consequences of Disrespect and the Art of Medical Diagnosis: Two Talmudic Tales of Shmuel (Nedarim 50b)

Wine, Wordplay, and Wedding Tensions: Bar Kappara’s Queries Regarding Biblical Denunciations and R' Yehuda HaNasi’s Unwilling Dance (Nedarim 51a)

נדרים פרק ז ("הנודר מן הירק")

Dinars, Disputes, and Dilutions: Rava's Query and the Spark of a Scholarly Spat (Nedarim 55a)

נדרים פרק ט ("רבי אליעזר")

Ugly Wives and Spiteful Husbands: Talmudic Farce in a Misogynistic Key (Nedarim 66a-b)

Sotah

סוטה פרק א ("המקנא")

[Appendix - Five people were created with bodily traits resembling divine attributes, each was ultimately afflicted through that very body part: Samson - strength, Saul - neck, Absalom - hair, Zedekiah - eyes, and Asa - feet (Sotah 10a)]

‘My Son Absalom!’: The Pride, Punishment, and Aftermath of Absalom in II Samuel 14-19 (Sotah 10b-11a)

Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:8-2:9

1. Pharaoh’s Strategy, Miriam’s Watchfulness, and Divine Retribution: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:8-10 (Sotah 11a)

2. Pharaoh’s Deception, the Mechanics of Oppression, and Divine Justice: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:10-14 (Sotah 11a-b)

3. The Righteous Women and the Redemption from Egypt: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:15 (Sotah 11b)

4. Pharaoh’s Decree and the Midwives’ Response: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:16-21 (Sotah 11b)

From Azubah to Zohar: Reading Miriam and Caleb in the Genealogies of the Book of Chronicles (Sotah 12a)

Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:8-2:9 (continued)

1. Pharaoh’s Decrees and Amram’s Response: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:16-2:3 (Sotah 12a)

2. The Symbolism and Miracles in Pharaoh’s Daughter Rescuing Moses in Exodus 2:3-5 (Sotah 12a-b)

3. Pharaoh’s Daughter Rescuing Moses in Exodus 2:6-9 (Sotah 12b)

[Appendix 1 - The Incoherent Vision of Necromancers - Isaiah 8:19 (Sotah 12b)]

סוטה פרק ז ("אלו נאמרין")

[Appendix 1 - Bat Kol Announcing Military and Political Events (Sotah 33a = Tosefta 13:5): Yoḥanan the High Priest and Shimon HaTzaddik]

The Temptation and Trial of Joseph in Genesis 39: From Potiphar's House to the High Priest's Ephod (Sotah 36a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

[Appendix 2 - Refuting the Samaritans’ Bible “Alterations”: Elon Moreh and Shechem (Sotah 33b)]

Gittin

גיטין פרק ג ("כל הגט")

Between Heat and Harvest: The Talmud on Winds and the Timing of Selling Agricultural Products (Gittin 31b-32a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

גיטין פרק ד ("השולח")

Righteousness or Witchcraft? Rav Naḥman’s Daughters And The Captivity and Miraculous Escape of Rav Ilish (Gittin 45a)

גיטין פרק ה ("הניזקין")

Talmudic Stories Relating to the Destruction of the Second Temple (Gittin 55b-56a)

From Nero to Titus: The Siege of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE in Talmudic Retelling (Gittin 56a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

[Appendix 1 - Onkelos Consults Judaism’s Historical Enemies: Seeking Advice from the Dead Titus, Balaam, and Jesus on Judaism and Conversion (Gittin 56b-57a)]

The Destruction of “King’s Mountain” (‘Tur Malka’): A Story of Custom, Rebellion, and Massacre (Gittin 57a)

Three Talmudic Stories about the Righteous Community of Kefar Sekhanya of Egypt (Gittin 57a)

[Appendix - The Beitar Massacre (Gittin 57a, sections # 21-23)]

Rome’s Hands, Jacob’s Voice: A Talmudic Lament Over the Destruction (Gittin 57b-58a)

Moses, R' Yehuda HaNasi, and Rav Ashi: The Pinnacles of Torah and Secular Authority (Gittin 59a)

גיטין פרק ז ("מי שאחזו")

Hostile Hospitality: Confrontations Between the Exilarch’s Retinue and Talmudic Sages (Gittin 67b-68a)

The Talmudic Sugya of Remedies (Gittin 69a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activities (Gittin 70a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Kiddushin

קידושין פרק א ("האשה נקנית")

Tales of Temptation: Sages' Encounters with Roman Noblewomen (Kiddushin 39b-40a)

קידושין פרק ב ("האיש מקדש")

‘On Condition That I Am [X]’: Talmudic Definitions of Learning, Strength, Wealth, and Character (Kiddushin 49a-b)

[Betrothal on condition of Bible or Mishnah literacy and study (Kiddushin 49a)]

[Appendix 1 - Talmudic Stereotypes: A List of 14 groups and their stereotypical character traits (Kiddushin 49b)]

קידושין פרק ד ("עשרה יוחסין")

Tainted Lineage, Lost Wealth, and Divine Judgment: The Consequences of Unsuitable Marriages (Kiddushin 70a)

Rav Yehuda vs. Rav Naḥman: A Talmudic Clash Over Speech, Social Status, and Slavery (Kiddushin 70a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix - Proclamations of Rav Yehuda, Rava, and Rav Yosef Regarding Flawed Lineage; and the Legacy of Pashḥur ben Immer’s Slaves (Kiddushin 70b)]

Talmudic Jewish Geography: The Boundaries of Babylonia, Lineage Purity, and the Cities of the Ten Lost Tribes (Kiddushin 71b-72a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

[Appendix #2a - Bear-Like Persians and Other Cultural Metaphors: Perspectives on Nations, Magi, and Babylonian Torah scholars (Kiddushin 72a)]

[Appendix #2b - Continuity of Righteous Leaders: The Principle of Succession Among Sages (Kiddushin 72b)]

From Donkey Drivers to Doctors, Bloodletters to Tanners: Rabbinic Insights and Guidance on Professions (Mishnah Kiddushin 4:14; Talmud ibid., 82a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Bava Kamma

בבא קמא פרק ו ("הכונס")

“Are you Important Enough to Mourn over Jerusalem?!”: Eliezer the Small’s Imprisonment by the Exilarch's Officials for Publicly Mourning the Destruction of Jerusalem (Bava Kamma 59a-b)

בבא קמא פרק ז ("מרובה")

[Appendix 2 - Restrictions on raising animals in Eretz Yisrael, especially sheep and goats (Mishnah Bava Kamma 7:7; Talmud Bavli, Bava Kamma 79b)]

בבא קמא פרק י ("הגוזל ומאכיל")

Rav Kahana vs. R’ Yoḥanan, Babylonia vs. Eretz Yisrael: Rav Kahana’s Flight, Resurrection, and Recognition (Bava Kamma 117a-b)

Bava Metzia

‘The Oven of Akhnai’: Disputation, Miracles, Ostracism, and Disasters in a Foundational Talmudic Story (Bava Metzia 59a-b)

Thief-Catching, Corpulence, and Virility: Stories of R' Elazar ben Shimon and R' Yishmael ben Yosei (Bava Metzia 83b-84a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

The Beauty and the Bandit: The Talmudic Tragedy of R' Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish (Bava Metzia 84a)

Exploring the Greatness of R' Hiyya (Bava Metzia 85b-86a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Sage on the Run: The Fleeing and Death of Rabba bar Naḥmani (Bava Metzia 86a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Bava Batra

בבא בתרא פרק א ("השותפין")

[Appendix - The Order and Authorship of Biblical Books (Bava Batra 14b-15a)]

When and Who Was Job? Talmudic Views on His Time Period and Identity (Bava Batra 15a-b)

[Appendix 2 - R’ Yoḥanan - Job’s generation was sexually promiscuous (Job 27:12; Song of Songs 7:1) (Bava Batra 15b)]

Book of Job in Talmudic Interpretation: Job's Contested Righteousness and Satan's Character (Bava Batra 15b-16b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

‘Iyov’ (“Job”) or ‘Oyev’ (“Enemy”)? God's Precise Control of Nature and the Rhetorical Rebuttal of Job’s Accusation in Job 38-39 (Bava Batra 16a-b)

[R’ Yehuda HaNasi’s “false” consolation to his son upon the birth of a daughter (Bava Batra 16b)]

[Esau’s Five Serious Sins on the Day of Abraham’s Death (Bava Batra 16b): Sex with a Betrothed Girl Murder, Denial of God and the Resurrection; Despising the Birthright]

בבא בתרא פרק ב ("לא יחפור")

“I punished him”: Anecdotes About the Life and Death of Rav Adda bar Abba (Bava Batra 22a)

בבא בתרא פרק ג ("חזקת הבתים")

R' Bena’a the Sage and Sleuth: Solving Two Mysteries and Rising to Judgeship (Bava Batra 58a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Ancient Burial Caves, Rankings of Beauty, and the Magus: Tales of R' Bena’a (Bava Batra 58a)

בבא בתרא פרק ה ("המוכר את הספינה")

Talmudic Odyssey: Giant Creatures, Cosmic Wonders, and Other Tales (Bava Batra 73a-74a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

The Seven Seas and Four Rivers that Surround Eretz Yisrael (Bava Batra 74b), and Its Comparative Context

“I remember”: Memories of the Olden Days of Galilean Cities - Tiberias and Tzippori (Bava Batra 91b and 75b)

בבא בתרא פרק ח ("יש נוחלין")

Stories of Disinheritance and Consecration to the Temple (Bava Batra 133b-134a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

בבא בתרא פרק ט ("מי שמת")

Further Experiments in Halachic Talmudic Sugya Layout: Wedding Gift Obligation Rules (Bava Batra 145a-b)

[Appendix 2 - Temperaments that lead to Good and Bad lives (Bava Batra 145b)]

Deathbed Gifts in Talmudic Law: Six Cases Ruled by Rav Naḥman (Bava Batra 151a-b)

בבא בתרא פרק י ("גט פשוט")

Archons and Angles: A Talmudic Sugya on Greek Words (Bava Batra 164b)

Sanhedrin

סנהדרין פרק א ("דיני ממונות בשלשה")

Rabbinic Roots: Unraveling the Family Tree of R' Ḥiyya and His Nephews (Sanhedrin 5a)

From Legal Procedure to Aggadic Pathos, Calendrical Courts to Emotional Self-Sacrifice: The Narrative Arc of a Talmudic Sugya (Sanhedrin 10b-11a)

An Ancient Coded Letter Embedded in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 12a)

Moses’ Wilderness Lotteries and the Prophecy of Eldad and Medad in Numbers 3 and 11 (Sanhedrin 17a)

[The physical and intellectual qualifications for members of the Sanhedrin (Sanhedrin 17a)]

From Idlers to Judges: The Essential 120 Men and Infrastructure Essentials in the Ideal City (Sanhedrin 17b-18a)

סנהדרין פרק ב ("כהן גדול")

The Evolution of Hebrew Script and Ezra’s Role in Torah Transmission (Sanhedrin 21b-22a)

[Appendix 1 - The Mysterious Writing on the Wall In Daniel 5: Various cryptographic possibilities of how it was written (Sanhedrin 22a)]

סנהדרין פרק ד ("אחד דיני ממונות")

The First Man: Talmudic Reflections on Adam's Creation (Sanhedrin 38a-39b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Refuting Heresy: Talmudic Responses to Heretical Claims of Divine Multiplicity in Scripture (Sanhedrin 38b)

Defending God, Biblical Monotheism, and Jewish Distinctiveness: Twelve Dialogues Between Sages and Challengers in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b-39a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

סנהדרין פרק ו ("נגמר הדין")

The Confession, Punishment, and Atonement of Achan in Joshua 7 (Sanhedrin 43b-44b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

[Appendix 1 - The Irrevocability of Verdicts and the Metaphorical Burden on False Witnesses (Sanhedrin 43a)]

[When Lethal Vigilante Force Is Justified: Halakhic Distinctions in Preventing Sexual and Violent Crimes (Sanhedrin 73a)]

סנהדרין פרק יא ("חלק")

[Appendix 2 - The Prohibition Against Giving Teruma to an Am Ha’aretz Priest (Sanhedrin 90b sections # 3-6)]

Scripture, Logic, and Polemic: Proofs for the Principle of the Mass Resurrection of the Jewish Dead in the Future Messianic Era (Sanhedrin 90b-91a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

’The Land of Canaan is Ours': Alexander the Great as Moderator of Territorial Claims on 'Canaan' by Africans and Arabs in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 91a)

Four Philosophical Dialogues Between R’ Yehuda Hanasi and the Roman Antoninus (Sanhedrin 91a-b)

Actual Resurrection or Allegory? The Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37 in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 92b)

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and the Fiery Furnace in the Talmud: Aggadic Expansion of Daniel 3 (Sanhedrin 92b-93a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix 2 - Allegorical Reading of Zechariah’s Vision in Zechariah 1:8 (Sanhedrin 93a)]

Roasted in Nebuchadnezzar’s Furnace: The Fall of Two Minor False Prophets and Joshua the High Priest, based on Jeremiah 29 and Zechariah 3 (Sanhedrin 93a)

[Appendix 2 - Ruth’s Six Descendants: David, the Messiah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Ruth 3:17; Sanhedrin 93a-b)]

“One day David went falcon-hunting”: The Demilitarized, Rabbinized, and Enchanted Story of Avishai Saving David From Yishbi-benov (II Samuel 21:15-17; Sanhedrin 95a)

From Foes to Faithful: The Conversions of Israel's Historical Biblical Enemies and their Descendants (Sanhedrin 96b)

“Menaḥem ben Ḥizkiyya is his name”: The Name of the Messiah and the Infant Potential Messiah in the Post-Destruction (Bavli Sanhedrin 98b; Yerushalmi Berakhot 2:4, #12)

[The daughter as a “false treasure” at every stage of her life in the Book of Ben Sira (Sanhedrin 100b)]

Pride, Idolatry, and the Rejection of Repentance: Talmudic Interpretations of the Wicked Biblical King Jeroboam (Sanhedrin 101b-102a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Rebuking the Kings: Two Tales of Respect, Condemnation, and the Temptation of Idolatry in Amoraic Reflections on Biblical Monarchs With No Share in the World-To-Come (Sanhedrin 102a-b)

Wicked Kings of Judah: Talmudic Insights into Idolatry and Atrocities by Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon, and Jehoiakim (Sanhedrin 103b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

The Prophet, the Prostitutes, and the Curses Reversed: The Biblical Story of Balaam in Talmudic Interpretation (Sanhedrin 105b-106b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

The Biblical Flood in Genesis 6-7: The Generation’s Sins, Noah’s Role, the Ark’s Construction, and the Survival of Animals (Sanhedrin 108a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

[Appendix 3 - The Wicked Raven in Noah’s Ark (Sanhedrin 108b)]

From Dust to Swords: Linking Abraham’s Battle in Genesis 14 With Naḥum of Gimzo’s Mission to Rome (Sanhedrin 108b-109a)

The Absurd and Brutal Practices of Biblical Sodom: A Talmudic Exploration (Sanhedrin 109a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Wealth, Wives, and Punishment: The Story of Korah’s Rebellion Against Moses in Numbers 16 (Sanhedrin 109b-110a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Makkot

‘Only Have a Child if He’ll Be Like R’ Shimon’: Literary Structure in R' Shimon’s Five Derivations of Temple Food Laws from Deuteronomy 12:17 - A Case Study (Makkot 17a)

Shevuot

[Appendix - The Nine Sacred Names of God That Must Not Be Erased and the Ten Divine Descriptives Permitted to Erase (Shevuot 35a)]

Avodah Zarah

עבודה זרה פרק א ("לפני אידיהן")

Rome and the Final Judgment: The Messianic-Era Judgement Day in the Talmud and Rome's Role (Avodah Zarah 2a-b)

[Appendix - Chronology of Rulers over Eretz Yisrael during the Second Temple period (Avodah Zarah 8b-9a)]

Symbolic Dialogues and Strategic Counsel: Six Stories of Antoninus and R' Yehuda HaNasi (Avodah Zarah 10a-b)

Roman Hegemon and Divine Judgement: R’ Eliezer’s Heresy Trial and a Teaching Attributed to Jesus on Using a Prostitute's Earnings to Fund a Temple Bathroom (Avodah Zarah 16b-17a)

Sex, Sin, and Salvation: Tamudic Tales of Controversially Kissing a Sister, Confession of Incest, and Encounters With Prostitutes (Avodah Zarah 17a)

Three Charges, Many Miracles: The Trial of R’ Elazar ben Perata (Avodah Zarah 17b)

Destined for the World-to-Come: The Trial and Martyrdom of R’ Ḥanina ben Teradyon by Burning at the Stake (Avodah Zarah 18a)

R' Meir's Suspicious Brushes with Sexual Indiscretions, and His Encounters with Roman Troops, as Depicted in the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 18a-b; Sanhedrin 11a; Kiddushin 81a)

Divine Beauty or Prohibited Gaze? The Talmud on Admiring Non-Jewish Women (Avodah Zarah 20a-b)

[Appendix 3 - Treatment of Outsiders and Transgressors: Rules for Rescuing Non-Jews, Shepherds, Heretics, Informers, and Apostates (Avodah Zarah 26a-b = Tosefta Bava Metzia 2:13)]

[Appendix - “Let Me Die with the Philistines”: Self-Sacrificial Violence and the Limits of Medical Trust on Shabbat (Avodah Zarah 28a)]

עבודה זרה פרק ב ("אין מעמידין")

Uncovered Liquids and Ritual Boundaries: Gentile Wine and the Risk of Snake Venom (Avodah Zarah 30a-31b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

עבודה זרה פרק ב ("אין מעמידין")

Kosher Chronicles: Six Talmudic Tales of Fish, Spice, and the Quest for Techelet (Avodah Zarah 39a)

[Appendix 1 - The Talmud on Whether Rabban Gamliel Deceived Proclus (Avodah Zarah 44b)]

עבודה זרה פרק ד ("רבי ישמעאל")

Talmudic Apologetics: A Cycle of Dialogues with Roman Pagans Regarding God and Idols (Avodah Zarah 54b-55a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

עבודה זרה פרק ה ("השוכר את הפועל")

Rose Water and Decadence: Rava and the Pleasure-seeking Bar-Sheshakh (Avodah Zarah 65a)

Permissibility of Jewish Wine in the Hands of Non-Jews: Ten Talmudic Cases Explored (Avodah Zarah 69b-70b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Horayot

[10 to 11 Things That Hinder Study (Horayot 13b)]

Menachot

מנחות פרק ג ("הקומץ רבה")

[Tacit Approval or Unaware? Tefillin Straps, Colored Wool, and the Limits of Inference from Silence (Menachot 35a)]

מנחות פרק ה ("כל המנחות באות מצה")

Four Riddle-like Aggadic Statements and Their Interpretations By R’ Ezra, Grandson of R’ Eutolus (Menachot 53a-b)

From "Addir" to "Zeh": Repetitive Riddles, Symbolic Wordplay, and Biblical Allusions in R’ Ezra’s Homilies (Menachot 53a-b)

מנחות פרק ו ("רבי ישמעאל")

Three Talmudic Stories of Cryptic Statements by Commoners Correctly Interpreted by the Biblical Mordechai (Menachot 64b-65a)

מנחות פרק ט ("כל קרבנות הצבור")

[The Galilean Oil Tycoon: The agent of Laodicea, the Farmer of Gush Ḥalav, and the Olive Oil Wealth of Asher’s Land (Menachot 85b)]

מנחות פרק יא ("שתי הלחם")

[Appendix - The prohibition to forget Torah (Menachot 99b)]

Chullin

חולין פרק ג ("אלו טרפות")

Testing Traditions: R' Shimon ben Ḥalafta's Experiments on Birds and Ants (Chullin 57b)

Gigantic Lion; Blinding Sun; Massive Meals; and God the Carpenter: Four Stories of R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya’s Interactions With the Roman Emperor (Chullin 59b-60a)

From Unicorns to Two-Spined Beasts: Talmudic Wonders of Creation (Chullin 60a-b)

חולין פרק ו ("כסוי הדם")

Monotheism Defended: The Story of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi Debating a Theistic Dualist (Chullin 87a)

[Appendix - The Humility of Israel's Leaders vs. the Arrogance of Non-Jewish Kings (Chullin 89a)]

חולין פרק ז ("גיד הנשה")

Jacob in Genesis 28-32: Talmudic Homiletics on the Biblical Stories of Jacob's Ladder and Jacob’s Struggle With an Angel (Chullin 91a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Talmudic Typological Interpretations: Egyptian Butler's Dream in Genesis 40, Hosea’s Wife in Hosea 3, and Zechariah 11 (Chullin 92a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

חולין פרק ח ("כל הבשר")

From Sodomite Salt to Demonic Gutters: The Hidden Meanings Behind Talmudic Eating Practices (Chullin 105b-106a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

חולין פרק ט ("העור והרוטב")

Beasts of Land and Sea: Talmudic Reflections on Animal Habitats, Crossbreeding, and the Infamy of Several Babylonian Towns (Chullin 127a)

Bekhorot

בכורות פרק א ("הלוקח עובר חמורו")

Patterns in Animal and Plant Reproduction According to the Talmud, with Comparison With Modern Biological Scientific Knowledge (Bekhorot 7b-8a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

בכורות פרק ד ("עד כמה")

[Appendix 2: Accepting Ḥaver Status—Requirements for Wives, Daughters, and Slaves Transitioning Between Am Ha’aretz and Ḥaver Households; From Tying Tefillin to Tying Tax Seals: The Husband's Decisive Role in His Wife's Behavior (Bekhorot 30b)]

בכורות פרק ט ("מעשר בהמה")

Gigantic Lettuce Heads, Cedars, and Eggs: Extraordinary Testimonies from R' Yishmael ben Satriel (Bekhorot 57b)

Arakhin

ערכין פרק ג ("יש בערכין")

[Appendix 2 - The Israelites’ Ten Trials of God in the Wilderness (Arakhin 15a-b)]

Temurah

תמורה פרק ב ("יש בקרבנות")

[Appendix - The Story of the Hasid Breastfeeding from the Goat - A Lesson in Piety, Sinning, and Following Communal Norms (Temurah 15b)]

Keritot

כריתות פרק א ("שלשים ושש")

The List of Ingredients in the Temple Incense: The ‘Ketoret’ Formula in Detail (Keritot 6a)

כריתות פרק ו ("המביא אשם")

From Silken Hands to Severed Hands: The Four Cries of the Temple Courtyard, and the Sins and Eventual Downfall of the High Priest Yissakhar of Barkai (Keritot 28a-b = Pesachim 57a-b)

Meilah

מעילה פרק ד ("קדשי מזבח")

Debates and Miracles: Logic, Exorcism, and the Repeal of Roman Anti-Jewish Laws (Meilah 17a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Tamid

תמיד פרק ב ("ראוהו אחיו")

Hyperbole in the Bible and the Mishnah According to the Talmud - Six Sequential Examples (Tamid 29a-b)

תמיד פרק ד ("לא היו כופתין")

Alexander the Great’s Dialogue with the Elders of the Negev: Philosophical Insights on Creation, Life, and Power (Tamid 32a)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

The Talmudic Tales of Alexander the Great’s Adventures in Africa: The Mountains of Darkness, the City of Women, and the Waters of Eden (Tamid 32a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Niddah

נידה פרק ב ("כל היד")

“Adultery with the hand”: The Talmud on Masturbation and Guidelines for How Men Should Urinate and Check for Emissions (Niddah 13a-b)

[Appendix 4 - Architectural Metaphor for Female Reproductive Anatomy: Room, Corridor, Upper story (=Uterus, Vagina, and Bladder) (Mishnah Niddah 2:5 = Niddah 17b)]

נידה פרק ג ("המפלת חתיכה")

Healthy Bones, Biblical Giants, and The (Literal) Decline (in Height) of the Generations: The Grave Observations of Abba Shaul (Niddah 24b-25a)

From Conception to Birth: Talmudic Perspectives on Fetal Development and Gender (Niddah 31a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

נידה פרק ד ("בנות כותים")

An Iron Pestle vs. a Copper Mortar: The Bitter Conflict between Sheila bar Avina and Rav Asi, Leading to Excommunication and Death (Niddah 36b-37a)

נידה פרק ה ("יוצא דופן")

[Appendix 2 - Amoraic Practices in Regards to their Female Slaves (Niddah 47a)]

Fig Metaphors and Female Development: Puberty, Maturity, and Majority (Niddah 47a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

[Appendix 3 - The Definition of “Tyrian Courtyard” in the Context of Agricultural Tithes (Niddah 47b)]

נידה פרק י ("תינוקת")

Aggadah, Folly, and Conduct: R’ Yehoshua ben Ḥanania’s Responses to the Alexandrians’ Questions (Niddah 70b-71a)

General Talmud Topics - Talmudic Studies and Interpretation

Studies, interpretations, or insights related to Talmudic texts, figures, or practices:

Beyond the Mystique: Correcting Common Misconceptions About the Talmud, and Pathways to Accessibility

Revealing the Order: Literary Structure and Rhetoric in the Mishnah

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

What's in a Talmudic Name? Unpacking the World of Personal Names in Talmudic Literature

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Quantifying the Jewish Canon: Computational Analyses of Classical Hebrew Texts

Between This World and the Next: Talmudic Conceptions of the World-to-Come and Resurrection of the Dead

The 'Drawn Foreskin' ('Moshekh Orlah'): Undoing Circumcision and Foreskin Restoration in Classical History and in the Talmudic Sources

The Many Names of God: Divine Epithets in the Talmud

'They Brought Them to Court and Stoned Them': Sex with a Betrothed Virgin as the Most Severe Sexual Prohibition in the Talmudic Literature

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Sacred Subterfuge: Stories of Deception in the Talmud

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

The “Sex is Food” Metaphor in the Talmud

More Metaphors in Talmudic literature, and how they can be interpreted within the framework of cognitive metaphor theory

Waves from the West: Uncovering some Greco-Roman Undercurrents in the Sea of Talmud

The Sasanian Province of Ḥuzistan in the Talmud: Stories of Conflict, Commerce, Marriage, and Mourning

[Appendix 1 - Child Cannibalism in Classical Jewish Sources]

[Appendix 2 - The “Biblicist” (‘Kara’): Bible Experts in the Talmud]

[Appendix - “Ascending” (‘Aliyah’) from Babylonia to Eretz Yisrael – Notes on the Term]

[Appendix 3 - Measure-for-Measure Divine Punishment in the Talmud]

[Appendix 2 - The term ‘Chazakah’ (חזקה) in Talmudic literature]

[Appendix 2 - The Talmudic Literature on Restrictions on raising animals in Eretz Yisrael, especially sheep and goats]

[Appendix - “Born Circumcised”: The Case of the Foreskin-Free Newborn in Talmudic Sources]

[Appendix 3 – Women Identified in the Talmud for Their Provocative Sexual Allure]

[Appendix 2 - Women’s Financial Dependence on Men in the Talmud]

[Appendix – The Concept of the Seventy Languages as Representing All Global Languages in the Talmud]

[Appendix 2: Formulas for Introducing Stories in the Bible and Talmudic Literature]

[Appendix: Additional Talmudic Stories of Bat Kol Proclaiming One’s Destiny for Life in the World-to-Come]

[Appendix: Numbered Lists in the Talmud, "And Some Say," and Further Examples]

[Appendix 3 - The Early Babylonian Amoraim R' Sheila and Rav]

[Appendix 3 - The perceived inferiority of females to males in Talmudic Literature]

[Appendix 3 - Hebrew Verbs for “Sex”]

[Appendix 4 - On the Division of the Torah into Five Books, and the terms ‘Pentateuch’ and ‘Chumash’]

[Appendix 3 - How the Passover animal sacrifice should be cooked (‘doneness’), Eating roasted meat on Seder night, and the Meaning of ‘Na’ (נא) in Exodus 12:8-9]

[Appendix 3 - Gabriel in Talmudic literature as the Jewish people’s guardian archangel]

ChavrutAI

Proposal for ChavrutAI: An AI Chavruta for Studying Talmud

Designing ChavrutAI: Building a Customized Talmud Interface for the Digital Age

ChavrutAI Web App in Progress: Advancing the Vision of a More Accessible Talmud

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

ChavrutAI Talmud Web App Launch: Review and Comparison with Similar Platforms

Naming, Onomastics, and Biography in the Talmud

Posts discussing the study of names (onomastics):

• From Abba to Zebedee: A Comprehensive Survey of Naming Conventions in Hebrew and Jewish Aramaic in Late Antiquity

• On the historical accuracy of Talmudic biographical details and stories

• Understanding Honorifics in the Talmudic Era

• Some Non-Jewish Historical Proper Names Mentioned by Name in the Talmud

• The Patronymic Puzzle: Revisiting Talmudic Names

• Explanations of Nicknames Provided by the Talmud

• “Appropriate Names”: The Interplay of Aptronyms, Pseudonyms, and Epithets in the Talmud

• A Prospectus for a Large Language Model (LLM) to Facilitate Researching Rabbinic Onomastics

Digital Layout of the Talmud

• Scripting the Talmud Part#2: Automated Rashi Text Extraction and digital layout of tzurat daf

• Scripting the Talmud: Automated Talmudic Text Extraction and Formatting

• Dicta Tools versus ChatGPT4 in Halachic Text Analysis

• Symbols and Syntax: Punctuation and Nikud in the Talmud

• Just published: My article in the Seforim Blog on digital layouts of the Talmud - and on the possibility of an AI chavruta

Quantitative Analysis

Mapping the Talmud: Scalable Natural Language Processing (NLP) for Named Entities, Topics, and Tags in the Talmudic Corpus

A Computational Approach to Identifying and Mapping Aggadic Content in the Talmud: Word Count as a Robust Proxy Indicator

The Densest Daf - Which Page of the Talmud Contains the Most Text? A Word Count Analysis That Definitively Identifies the Talmud’s Wordiest Pages

Large Numbers (≥100) in the Talmud: A Data Analysis

A Quantitative Analysis of the Talmudic ‘Sugya’: Identifying the Upper Bound of Sugya Length, and Lower Bound of Number of Sugyot