Cataloging My Blogposts: An Organized Breakdown by Category

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Index of Talmud Content

Ezra Brand Blogpost Index Dec 2023 To Dec 2024

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(Posted also at my Academia.edu page: “Personal Blog Index: December 2023 to December 2024“.)

Sorted by Order of Tractate

Mishnah

Challah

When Jerusalem Said No: Stories of Six Dismissed Offerings in the Second Temple (Mishnah Challah 4:10-11)

Pesachim

Five Grains, Five Vegetables, and Forbidden Leaven: Passover Laws of Matza, Maror, and Hametz (Mishnah Pesachim 2:5-6, 3:1)

Labor, Lamps, and Livestock: Local Norms, Pluralism, and Halachic Variance by Time and Place (Mishnah Pesachim 4:1-5)

The Biblical King Hezekiah's Six Controversial Actions: Three Approved, Three Not (Mishnah Pesachim 4:9)

Yoma

Honorable Innovations and Selfish Secrets: Contributions and Criticisms in Second Temple Service (Mishnah Yoma 3:9-11)

Shekalim

Fifteen Named Officials Who Served in Specific positions in the Late Second Temple, in the Context of Late Biblical Books (Mishnah, Shekalim 5:1)

Sukkah

Sukkot in the Second Temple: Rituals of the Lulav, Willow, and Water Drawing Ceremony (Mishnah Sukkah 4:4-5:4)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

Ta'anit

The Eight Second Temple Clans in the Schedule of the Wood Offering, Purported Descendants of Families mentioned in Late Biblical Books (Mishnah, Ta'anit 4:5)

Sotah

The End of an Era: The Mishnah on Societal Decline and the Discontinuation of Rituals (Mishnah Sotah 9:9-15)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

”On Whom Can We Rely?” Literary Laments of a Fallen Society in the Mishnah (Mishnah Sotah 9:15)

Kiddushin

‘Tractate Kinyanim’: Modes of Acquiring People, Livestock, Land and More (Mishnah Kiddushin 1:1-6)

Sanhedrin

Barred from the Afterlife: Heretics, Biblical Sinners, and Groups Denied a Share in the World-to-Come (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1-4)

Avodah Zarah

Proclus and Rabban Gamliel: A Philosophical Exchange on Idolatry and Civic Spaces Outside of Aphrodite's Bathhouse (Mishnah Avodah Zarah 3:4)

Bekhorot

Body, Blemish, and Temple Duty: Physical Deformities that Disqualify Priests from Serving (Mishnah Bekhorot 7:1-6; Leviticus 21:18-20)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Tamid

A List of Ten Extremely Powerful Sounds and Smells of the Temple, According to the Mishnah (Mishnah Tamid 3:8)

Yadayim

‘Sacred and Defiles the Hands’: The Canonical Status of the Biblical Books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Songs (Mishnah Yadayim 3:5)

Counting the Letters in the Mishnah: Measuring the Length of All Four Thousand Individual Mishnayot (With analysis of Mishnah Yadayim 4:3)

Jerusalem Talmud

Terumot

Ancient Standoffs: Five Talmudic Stories of Tense Encounters Between Jews and Romans (Jerusalem Talmud, Terumot 8:4, 11-15)

1. Pt.1

2. Pt.2

Chagigah

From Alexandria to Ashkelon: Talmudic Stories About Yehuda ben Tabbai, Shimon ben Shetah, and Hasidim (Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:2, #5-6)

1. Pt.1

2. Pt.2

Yevamot

Four More Stories Relating to Remarriage (Jerusalem Talmud Yevamot 16:4.2-9.2)

Babylonian Talmud

Berakhot

ברכות פרק א ("מאימתי")

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 ו ("כיצד מברכין")

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

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)

Rituals for Favorable Dream Manifestation and Protection from the Evil Eye (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

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)

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

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)

‘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

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)

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)

שבת פרק ט ("[אמר] רבי עקיבא")

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

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 יג ("האורג")

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

1. Pt.1 - the Names and Shapes of Letters

2. Pt.2 - Homiletics on Letter Transformations

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

שבת פרק טו ("ואלו קשרים")

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")

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

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

שבת פרק כא ("נוטל")

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)

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

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

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)

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

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

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

Pesachim

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

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

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

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

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

“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)

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

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

Rosh Hashanah

“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)

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

Yoma

“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

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

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

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

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)

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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)

Beitzah

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

Taanit

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

“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)

Megillah

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moed Katan

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

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

1. Pt.1

2. Pt.2

3. Pt.3

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

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)

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)

Yevamot

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)

‘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)

“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

Pt1 Mourning Rituals and Communal Practices: Blessings, Wine, and Rabban Gamliel’s Burial Reform (Ketubot 8b)

Pt2 Mourning Rituals and Communal Practices: Blessings, Wine, and Rabban Gamliel’s Burial Reform (Ketubot 8b)

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

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

“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)

Nedarim

Pt1 Talmudic Perspectives on Marital Sex: Behaviors, Consequences, and Ethics (Nedarim 20a-b)

Pt2 Talmudic Perspectives on Marital Sex: Behaviors, Consequences, and Ethics (Nedarim 20a-b)

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

Pt1 R' Yehuda HaNasi and Bar Kappara: Talmudic Stories of Humor, Wealth, and Reflection (Nedarim 50b-51a)

Pt2 R' Yehuda HaNasi and Bar Kappara: Talmudic Stories of Humor, Wealth, and Reflection (Nedarim 50b-51a)

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)

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

Sotah

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 1-2

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)

Gittin

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

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

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

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

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

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

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 Activites (Gittin 70a-b)

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Kiddushin

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

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

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

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

“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)

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

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

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)

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)

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

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

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

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

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

Sanhedrin

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)

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

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

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

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

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

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

“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)

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

1. Pt1

2. Pt2

3. Pt3

Avodah Zarah

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

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)

Pt1 Uncovered Liquids and Ritual Boundaries: Gentile Wine and the Risk of Snake Venom (Avodah Zarah 30a-31b)

Pt2 Uncovered Liquids and Ritual Boundaries: Gentile Wine and the Risk of Snake Venom (Avodah Zarah 30a-31b)

Pt3 Uncovered Liquids and Ritual Boundaries: Gentile Wine and the Risk of Snake Venom (Avodah Zarah 30a-31b)

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

Talmudic Apologetics: A Cycle of Dialogues with Roman Pagans Regarding God and Idols (Avodah Zarah 54b-55a) - Pt. 1

Talmudic Apologetics: A Cycle of Dialogues with Roman Pagans Regarding God and Idols (Avodah Zarah 54b-55a) - Pt. 2

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

Pt1 Permissibility of Jewish Wine in the Hands of Non-Jews: Ten Talmudic Cases Explored (Avodah Zarah 69b-70b)

Pt2 Permissibility of Jewish Wine in the Hands of Non-Jews: Ten Talmudic Cases Explored (Avodah Zarah 69b-70b)

Menachot

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)

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

Chullin

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)

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

Pt1 From Sodomite Salt to Demonic Gutters: The Hidden Meanings Behind Talmudic Eating Practices (Chullin 105b-106a)

Pt2 From Sodomite Salt to Demonic Gutters: The Hidden Meanings Behind Talmudic Eating Practices (Chullin 105b-106a)

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

Bekhorot

Pt1 Patterns in Animal and Plant Reproduction According to the Talmud, with Comparison With Modern Biological Scientific Knowledge (Bekhorot 7b-8a)

Pt2 Patterns in Animal and Plant Reproduction According to the Talmud, with Comparison With Modern Biological Scientific Knowledge (Bekhorot 7b-8a)

Pt3 Patterns in Animal and Plant Reproduction According to the Talmud, with Comparison With Modern Biological Scientific Knowledge (Bekhorot 7b-8a)

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

Keritot

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

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

Pt1 Debates and Miracles: Logic, Exorcism, and the Repeal of Roman Anti-Jewish Laws (Meilah 17a-b)

Pt2 Debates and Miracles: Logic, Exorcism, and the Repeal of Roman Anti-Jewish Laws (Meilah 17a-b)

Tamid

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

Pt1 Alexander the Great’s Dialogue with the Elders of the Negev: Philosophical Insights on Creation, Life, and Power (Tamid 32a)

Pt2 Alexander the Great’s Dialogue with the Elders of the Negev: Philosophical Insights on Creation, Life, and Power (Tamid 32a)

Pt1 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)

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)

Niddah

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

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

Pt1 From Conception to Birth: Talmudic Perspectives on Fetal Development and Gender (Niddah 31a-b)

Pt2 From Conception to Birth: Talmudic Perspectives on Fetal Development and Gender (Niddah 31a-b)

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)

Pt1 Fig Metaphors and Female Development: Puberty, Maturity, and Majority (Niddah 47a-b)

Pt2 Fig Metaphors and Female Development: Puberty, Maturity, and Majority (Niddah 47a-b)

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

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"

"Pt.2 of Sacred Subterfuge: Stories of Deception in the Talmud"

"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"

Jewish Studies - especially Talmud and Digital Humanities

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

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"

• "A Century of US Names, Pt 1: Male Monikers with Hebrew Bible, Greco-Roman, and Germanic Roots"

• "A Century of US Names, Pt 2, Naming Dames: Female Names with Hebrew Bible, Greco-Roman, and Germanic Roots"

Digital Layout of the Talmud and other Rabbinic Texts

• "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"

Digital Resources for Jewish Studies

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

Posts discussing various digital resources for scholarly study of Jewish texts and topics:

• Transcript of my presentation: “A Selective Overview of Digital Resources for the Scholarly Study of Rabbinic Texts”

• Guide to Online Resources for Scholarly Jewish Study and Research - 2023

• Evaluating Al-Hatorah's Digital Repository: Exploring Its Excellent Tanakh and Talmud Commentaries, and More

• Workshop: Editions of Classical Jewish Literature in the Digital Era

• Selected recap from the 3-day workshop, “Editions of Classical Jewish Literature in the Digital Era”

• Announcement: My upcoming presentation: 'An Overview of Digital Resources for the Scholarly Study of Rabbinic Texts'

Medieval Jewish Literature

• Towards Decoding Ha-Yeriah Ha-Gedolah (The Great Parchment), a cryptic 14th century Italian kabbalistic text

• Maimonides' Omissions: Explaining Exclusions from Mishneh Torah

Jewish Studies General - Book Reviews, Conferences, Taxonomy

• “Jewish Studies books on Amazon Kindle: A Discussion and Recommended Titles”

• Charting Jewish Studies: A Taxonomy for the 21st Century

• I'm going to European Association for Jewish Studies (EAJS) annual conference in Frankfurt

Modern Jewish Culture, Halacha, and Apologetics

Study of Modern Jewish Culture and Literature

Posts that explore Modern Jewish culture, identity, and literature from various perspectives:

• Notes on some Literary forgeries of Jewish works in the Late Modern Period (1756-1965)

• Notes on controversies, polemics and bans in Modern Jewish history

• The Satmar Rebbe, R' Yoel Teitelbaum: Reviewing his Biography, Beliefs, and Controversies

• Beyond Miracles and Divine Intervention: Unraveling the Practical Strategies of Apartment Ownership Among Israeli Chareidim

• Orthodox Judaism, Religious Coercion, and Halacha

• Faith in Flux: Voices from the Fringes of Ultra-Orthodox Judaism

• Yeshivish Dialect in the Landscape of Generative Artificial Intelligence

• Speaking During Sacred Silences: Interjections between Netilat Yadayim and Hamotzi

• Was Abraham a Lamdan?

Halacha and Artificial Intelligence

• AI Self-Reflection: ChatGPT4’s Stance on Assuming the Role of a Rov

• Can Artificial Intelligence Pasken? - Pt.3

• The Intersection of Halacha and Artificial Intelligence - Pt#2

• Adventures in ChatGPT-4 and Pesak: A Confluence of Technology and Tradition

Religious Philosophy and Apologetics

Posts that discuss or critique religious arguments, beliefs, or practices:

• The Kuzari Argument: A central claim in Ultra-Orthodox Apologetics

• Ultra-Orthodox Apologetics: Some Notes on R’ Ahron Lopianski’s Lecture Series “Da Ma Shetashiv”

• Is There Pesak for Belief in Orthodox Judaism?

• Ultra-Orthodox Tensions: The Sefaria Controversy and the Struggle Between Tradition and Modernity

General - Not Jewish Studies

Artificial Intelligence - General

• Data Transformation for E-Commerce

• "Data Transformation with the Amazing New ChatGpt4 ‘Code Interpreter’, with Google Colab"

Personal - About Me

About - Talmud & Tech

Technology and Lifestyle

Posts discussing aspects of technology and lifestyle:

• Mobile Minimalism: Streamlining My Smartphone Layout

• Crafting a Personalized Travel Itinerary with ChatGPT-4, and Mapping it

Recommended books - General

• Recommended General Non-fiction Kindle Books (not Jewish studies)

Personal Genealogy and Family History

Posts delving into my family history and genealogical research:

• "Remember the Days of Old: My Family History Research"

• "Pilgrimage to the Past: The Yeshiva University Family Discovery Club Visits Ellis Island - 2014"

• "Genealogy Documents"