See also: Sitemap - Talmud & Tech
(Posted also at my Academia.edu page: “Personal Blog Index: December 2023 to December 2024“.)
When Jerusalem Said No: Stories of Six Dismissed Offerings in the Second Temple (Mishnah Challah 4:10-11)
The Biblical King Hezekiah's Six Controversial Actions: Three Approved, Three Not (Mishnah Pesachim 4:9)
Honorable Innovations and Selfish Secrets: Contributions and Criticisms in Second Temple Service (Mishnah Yoma 3:9-11)
Fifteen Named Officials Who Served in Specific positions in the Late Second Temple, in the Context of Late Biblical Books (Mishnah, Shekalim 5:1)
Pt1 Sukkot in the Second Temple: Rituals of the Lulav, Willow, and Water Drawing Ceremony (Mishnah Sukkah 4:4-5:4)
Pt2 Sukkot in the Second Temple: Rituals of the Lulav, Willow, and Water Drawing Ceremony (Mishnah Sukkah 4:4-5:4)
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)
Pt1 The End of an Era: The Mishnah on Societal Decline and the Discontinuation of Rituals (Mishnah Sotah 9:9-15)
Pt2 The End of an Era: The Mishnah on Societal Decline and the Discontinuation of Rituals (Mishnah Sotah 9:9-15)
On Whom Can We Rely?” Literary Laments of a Fallen Society in the Mishnah (Mishnah Sotah 9:15)
Barred from the Afterlife: Heretics, Biblical Sinners, and Groups Denied a Share in the World-to-Come (Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1-4)
Proclus and Rabban Gamliel: A Philosophical Exchange on Idolatry and Civic Spaces Outside of Aphrodite's Bathhouse (Mishnah Avodah Zarah 3:4)
Pt1 Body, Blemish, and Temple Duty: Physical Deformities that Disqualify Priests from Serving (Mishnah Bekhorot 7:1-6; Leviticus 21:18-20)
Pt2 Body, Blemish, and Temple Duty: Physical Deformities that Disqualify Priests from Serving (Mishnah Bekhorot 7:1-6; Leviticus 21:18-20)
Pt3 Body, Blemish, and Temple Duty: Physical Deformities that Disqualify Priests from Serving (Mishnah Bekhorot 7:1-6; Leviticus 21:18-20)
A List of Ten Extremely Powerful Sounds and Smells of the Temple, According to the Mishnah (Mishnah Tamid 3:8)
Counting the Letters in the Mishnah: Measuring the Length of All Four Thousand Individual Mishnayot (With analysis of Mishnah Yadayim 4:3)
Ancient Standoffs: Five Talmudic Stories of Tense Encounters Between Jews and Romans (Jerusalem Talmud, Terumot 8:4, 11-15) - Pt.2
Ancient Standoffs: Five Talmudic Stories of Tense Encounters Between Jews and Romans (Jerusalem Talmud, Terumot 8:4, 11-15) - Pt.1
From Alexandria to Ashkelon: Talmudic Stories About Yehuda ben Tabbai, Shimon ben Shetah, and Hasidim (Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:2, #5-6) - Pt.1
From Alexandria to Ashkelon: Talmudic Stories About Yehuda ben Tabbai, Shimon ben Shetah, and Hasidim (Jerusalem Talmud Chagigah 2:2, #5-6) - Pt.2
Four More Stories Relating to Remarriage (Jerusalem Talmud Yevamot 16:4.2-9.2)
Berakhot
Pt1 Prayer, Poetry, and Ethics: A Journey Through Seventeen Talmudic Prayers and Ethical Teachings (Berakhot 16b-17a)
Pt2 Prayer, Poetry, and Ethics: A Journey Through Seventeen Talmudic Prayers and Ethical Teachings (Berakhot 16b-17a)
Pt3 Prayer, Poetry, and Ethics: A Journey Through Seventeen Talmudic Prayers and Ethical Teachings (Berakhot 16b-17a; Eruvin 54a)
Between Heaven and Earth: The Tale of Shmuel and the Orphans’ Money (Berakhot 18b)
Abundance in Ancient Israel: Talmudic Accounts of Extraordinary Fruits and Families (Berakhot 44a)
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)
Pt1 Selected Dream Interpretations, Especially Those Relating to Illicit Sex (Berakhot 56a-57b)
Pt2 Selected Dream Interpretations, Especially Those Relating to Illicit Sex (Berakhot 56a-57b)
Pt1 Sensory Delights and Echoes of the Divine: The Talmud on Pleasures, Omens, Health and Microcosms (Berakhot 57b)
Pt2 Sensory Delights and Echoes of the Divine: The Talmud on Pleasures, Omens, Health and Microcosms (Berakhot 57b)
Pt1 From Babylon’s Ruins to Jewish Multitudes: Talmudic Blessings for Idolatry, Crowds, and Leadership (Berakhot 57b-58a)
Pt2 From Babylon’s Ruins to Jewish Multitudes: Talmudic Blessings for Idolatry, Crowds, and Leadership (Berakhot 57b-58a)
Pt1 Earthly and Divine Majesty: Encounters with Kings, Justice, and the Reflection of Heaven on Earth (Berakhot 58a)
Pt2 Earthly and Divine Majesty: Encounters with Kings, Justice, and the Reflection of Heaven on Earth (Berakhot 58a)
Pt1 Celestial Phenomena: Comets and Constellations in the Talmud (Mishnah Berakhot 9:2; Berakhot 58b-59a)
Pt2 Celestial Phenomena: Comets and Constellations in the Talmud (Mishnah Berakhot 9:2; Berakhot 58b-59a)
Unusual In His Skin: Talmudic Discourse on the Cushi and other Types of People With Notable Physical Appearances (Berakhot 58b and Moed Katan 16b)
Pt1 Demons, Direction, and Decorum: A Talmudic Approach to Hygiene and Outhouse Use (Berakhot 61b-62b)
Pt2 Demons, Direction, and Decorum: A Talmudic Approach to Hygiene and Outhouse Use (Berakhot 61b-62b)
Pt1 The Four Sermons of the Mid-Second Century Sages in Yavne: On Hospitality (Xenia) and the Honor of Torah Sages (Berakhot 63b)
Pt2 The Four Sermons of the Mid-Second Century Sages in Yavne: On Hospitality (Xenia) and the Honor of Torah Sages (Berakhot 63b)
Shabbat
Even if all the seas would be ink: Further Poetry of the Talmud (Shabbat 11a; Berakhot 17a; Moed Katan 25b)
Rituals, Riches, and a Deadly Deception: Shabbat Preparations, the Definitions of ‘Goodness’ and ‘Wealth,’ and the Collection of Balsam and Murex (Shabbat 25b-26a)
Pt1 The Biblical Books Nearly Suppressed: Reconciling Contradictions in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs (Shabbat 30b)
Pt2 The Biblical Books Nearly Suppressed: Reconciling Contradictions in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs (Shabbat 30b)
Explosive Endings: Two Talmudic Tales of Supernaturally Killing Via Explosion (Shabbat 30b and Moed Katan 17a-b)
Pt1 Hillel’s Three Converts: Lessons in Patience, the Oral Torah, and the Golden Rule (Shabbat 31a)
Pt2 Hillel’s Three Converts: Lessons in Patience, the Oral Torah, and the Golden Rule (Shabbat 31a)
Hillel vs. the Heckler: A Friday Afternoon Challenge to Hillel’s Composure and Physical Anthropology in the Talmud (Shabbat 31a)
Pt1 ‘Due to Sin [X], Occurs [Y]’: Divine Justice and Human Responsibility for Suffering and Death (Shabbat 32b-33a)
Pt2 ‘Due to Sin [X], Occurs [Y]’: Divine Justice and Human Responsibility for Suffering and Death (Shabbat 32b-33a)
Pt3 ‘Due to Sin [X], Occurs [Y]’: Divine Justice and Human Responsibility for Suffering and Death (Shabbat 32b-33a)
Pt1 Bodily Afflictions and Illnesses as Signs of Sin: Wounds, Edema (Hidrokan), and Diphtheria (Askara) (Shabbat 33a-b)
Pt2 Bodily Afflictions and Illnesses as Signs of Sin: Wounds, Edema (Hidrokan), and Diphtheria (Askara) (Shabbat 33a-b)
Pt1 R’ Shimon’s Flight from the Romans, Hiding, and Return: A Story of Persecution, Miracles, and Retribution (Shabbat 33b-34a)
Pt2 R’ Shimon’s Flight from the Romans, Hiding, and Return: A Story of Persecution, Miracles, and Retribution (Shabbat 33b-34a)
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)
“Asking Anything in the Entire World”: A Talmudic Sugya of Zoological Questions and Intuitive Etymologies of Aramaic Words (Shabbat 77b)
“The likes of which were not said even in the days of Yehoshua bin Nun”: Talmudic Homiletics on the Hebrew Alphabet - Pt.1 - the Names and Shapes of Letters (Shabbat 104a)
Talmudic Homiletics on the Hebrew Alphabet - Pt.2 - Homiletics on Letter Transformations (Shabbat 104a)
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)
Pt1 Dealing with Dangerous Snakes: Swallowing, Bites, Pursuits, and Attacks (Shabbat 109b-110a)
Pt2 Dealing with Dangerous Snakes: Swallowing, Bites, Pursuits, and Attacks (Shabbat 109b-110a)
Of Serpents and Sages: The Stories of the Snakebite Deaths of Ben Dama and the Pumbedita Official (Avodah Zarah 27b; Shabbat 109b-110a)
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
Pt1 To Kill or Not to Kill: Scorpions, Snakes, and Other Dangerous Creatures on Shabbat (Shabbat 121b)
Pt2 To Kill or Not to Kill: Scorpions, Snakes, and Other Dangerous Creatures on Shabbat (Shabbat 121b)
A Sequence of Twelve Statements of Practical Advice to Young Yeshiva Students by Rav Ḥisda (Shabbat 140b)
Pt1 Snowy Mountains and Three Legs: Aphorisms and Metaphorical Portraits of Aging in the Talmud (Shabbat 152a)
Pt2 Snowy Mountains and Three Legs: Aphorisms and Metaphorical Portraits of Aging in the Talmud (Shabbat 152a)
From Eunuch-ville to Bald-town: A Eunuch and R' Yehoshua the Bald Trade Insults Over Physical Shortcomings (Shabbat 152a)
Pt1 Astrological Destinies in the Talmud: Influence of Birth Timings on Character (Shabbat 156a)
Pt2 Astrological Destinies in the Talmud: Influence of Birth Timings on Character (Shabbat 156a)
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
Pt1 Rabbinic Elitism and the Am Ha’aretz: Hierarchy, Hostility, Hatred, and Distrust (Pesachim 49b)
Pt2 Rabbinic Elitism and the Am Ha’aretz: Hierarchy, Hostility, Hatred, and Distrust (Pesachim 49b)
Pt3 Rabbinic Elitism and the Am Ha’aretz: Hierarchy, Hostility, Hatred, and Distrust (Pesachim 49b)
“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)
Pairs, Planks, and Potions: Three Talmudic Tales of Witchcraft (Pesachim 110b and Sanhedrin 67b)
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)
Pt1 Demon-Infested Shadows: Sorb Trees, Amulets, and Exorcism (Pesachim 111b)
Pt2 Demon-Infested Shadows: Sorb Trees, Amulets, and Exorcism (Pesachim 111b)
Pt1 Rabbinic Advice: Practical Guidance from the Talmud (Pesachim 112a-114a)
Pt2 Rabbinic Advice: Practical Guidance from the Talmud (Pesachim 112a-114a)
Pt3 Rabbinic Advice: Practical Guidance from the Talmud (Pesachim 112a-114a)
Lives, Loves, and Hatreds: Psychological and Social Commentary on Human Behaviors, Group Dynamics, and Animal Traits (Pesachim 113b)
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)
Pt1 Tremendously Loud Sounds: Gabini's Cries, the Sun's Orbit, Rome's Crowds, and More (Yoma 20b-21a)
Pt2 Tremendously Loud Sounds: Gabini's Cries, the Sun's Orbit, Rome's Crowds, and More (Yoma 20b-21a)
Guardians of Temple Incense: The Eutinas Clan and Their Secret Craft (Yoma 38a)
Pt1 Prophecy, Omens, and Miracles: Shimon HaTzaddik and the Foreshadowing of the Second Temple's Destruction (Yoma 39a-b)
Pt2 Prophecy, Omens, and Miracles: Shimon HaTzaddik and the Foreshadowing of the Second Temple's Destruction (Yoma 39a-b)
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)
Pt1 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)
Pt2 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)
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)
Pt1 From Desperation to Downpour: Talmudic Stories of Rainmaking (Taanit 24a-b)
Pt2 From Desperation to Downpour: Talmudic Stories of Rainmaking (Taanit 24a-b)
Pt3 From Desperation to Downpour: Talmudic Stories of Rainmaking (Taanit 24a-b)
“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
Pt1 Thematic Introductions to the Book of Esther in the Talmud (Megillah 10b-11a)
Pt2 Thematic Introductions to the Book of Esther in the Talmud (Megillah 10b-11a)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 1:3-9 (Megillah 12a)
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: Esther 1:10-14 (Megillah 12b)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 1:16-2:5 (Megillah 12b)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 2:6-20 (Megillah 13a)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 2:20-3:7 (Megillah 13b)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 3:8-3:11 (Megillah 13b-14a)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 4:1-5:2 (Megillah 15a-b)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 5:6-6:10 (Megillah 15b-16a)
Pt1 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)
Pt2 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)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 6:13-7:10 (Megillah 16a)
Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 8:16-10:3 (Megillah 16b)
Moed Katan
Two Talmudic Stories of Cryptic Blessings and Their Interpretation (Moed Katan 9a-b)
Pt1 From Kohl to Lime: A Talmudic Discussion of Cosmetics and Hair Removal (Moed Katan 9b)
Pt2 From Kohl to Lime: A Talmudic Discussion of Cosmetics and Hair Removal (Moed Katan 9b)
From Admonishment to Excommunication: The Talmudic Laws of Ostracism (Moed Katan 16a-b) - Pt.1
From Admonishment to Excommunication: The Talmudic Laws of Ostracism (Moed Katan 16a-b) - Pt.2
From Admonishment to Excommunication: The Talmudic Laws of Ostracism (Moed Katan 16a-b) - 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)
Pt1 Talmudic Cosmology (Ma'aseh Bereshit): Earth's Foundations, the Seven Heavens, and Cosmic Dimensions (Chagigah 12b-13a)
Pt2 Talmudic Cosmology (Ma'aseh Bereshit): Earth's Foundations, the Seven Heavens, and Cosmic Dimensions (Chagigah 12b-13a)
Pt3 Talmudic Cosmology (Ma'aseh Bereshit): Earth's Foundations, the Seven Heavens, and Cosmic Dimensions (Chagigah 12b-13a)
Annotated List of Talmudic Figures Known as 'Ben X' or 'Bar X,' and Stories of Ben Zoma (Chagigah 14b-15a)
Yevamot
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)
Pt1 “Endless Water”: Eight Stories of Uncertain Drowning of a Husband in the Context of Remarriage (Yevamot 121a-b)
Pt2 “Endless Water”: Eight Stories of Uncertain Drowning of a Husband in the Context of Remarriage (Yevamot 121a-b)
Pt3 “Endless Water”: Eight Stories of Uncertain Drowning of a Husband in the Context of Remarriage (Yevamot 121a-b)
Pt1 "Alas!": Thirteen Additional Stories Regarding the Reliability and Validity of Testimony About a Husband’s Death in the Context of Remarriage (Yevamot 121b-122b)
Pt2 "Alas!": Thirteen Additional Stories Regarding the Reliability and Validity of Testimony About a Husband’s Death in the Context of Remarriage (Yevamot 121b-122b)
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)
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
Pharaoh’s Strategy, Miriam’s Watchfulness, and Divine Retribution: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:8-10 (Sotah 11a)
Pharaoh’s Deception, the Mechanics of Oppression, and Divine Justice: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:10-14 (Sotah 11a-b)
The Righteous Women and the Redemption from Egypt: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:15 (Sotah 11b)
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)
Pharaoh’s Decrees and Amram’s Response: Talmudic Interpretations of Exodus 1:16-2:3 (Sotah 12a)
The Symbolism and Miracles in Pharaoh’s Daughter Rescuing Moses in Exodus 2:3-5 (Sotah 12a-b)
Gittin
Pt1 Between Heat and Harvest: The Talmud on Winds and the Timing of Selling Agricultural Products (Gittin 31b-32a)
Pt2 Between Heat and Harvest: The Talmud on Winds and the Timing of Selling Agricultural Products (Gittin 31b-32a)
Righteousness or Witchcraft? Rav Naḥman’s Daughters And The Captivity and Miraculous Escape of Rav Ilish (Gittin 45a)
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)
Pt1 The Talmudic Sugya of Remedies (Gittin 69a-b)
Pt2 The Talmudic Sugya of Remedies (Gittin 69a-b)
Pt3 The Talmudic Sugya of Remedies (Gittin 69a-b)
Pt1 Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activites (Gittin 70a-b)
Pt2 Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activites (Gittin 70a-b)
Pt3 Sex, Bloodletting, Travel, and Other Dangerous Activites (Gittin 70a-b)
Three Talmudic Stories about the Righteous Community of Kefar Sekhanya of Egypt (Gittin 57a)
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)
Pt1 Rav Yehuda vs. Rav Naḥman: A Talmudic Clash Over Speech, Social Status, and Slavery (Kiddushin 70a-b)
Pt2 Rav Yehuda vs. Rav Naḥman: A Talmudic Clash Over Speech, Social Status, and Slavery (Kiddushin 70a-b)
Pt1 Talmudic Jewish Geography: The Boundaries of Babylonia, Lineage Purity, and the Cities of the Ten Lost Tribes (Kiddushin 71b-72a)
Pt2 Talmudic Jewish Geography: The Boundaries of Babylonia, Lineage Purity, and the Cities of the Ten Lost Tribes (Kiddushin 71b-72a)
Pt3 Talmudic Jewish Geography: The Boundaries of Babylonia, Lineage Purity, and the Cities of the Ten Lost Tribes (Kiddushin 71b-72a)
Pt1 From Donkey Drivers to Doctors, Bloodletters to Tanners: Rabbinic Insights and Guidance on Professions (Mishnah Kiddushin 4:14; Talmud ibid., 82a-b)
Pt2 From Donkey Drivers to Doctors, Bloodletters to Tanners: Rabbinic Insights and Guidance on Professions (Mishnah Kiddushin 4:14; Talmud ibid., 82a-b)
Pt3 From Donkey Drivers to Doctors, Bloodletters to Tanners: Rabbinic Insights and Guidance on Professions (Mishnah Kiddushin 4:14; Talmud ibid., 82a-b)
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
Pt1 Thief-Catching, Corpulence, and Virility: Stories of R' Elazar ben Shimon and R' Yishmael ben Yosei (Bava Metzia 83b-84a)
Pt2 Thief-Catching, Corpulence, and Virility: Stories of R' Elazar ben Shimon and R' Yishmael ben Yosei (Bava Metzia 83b-84a)
Pt1 Exploring the Greatness of R' Hiyya (Bava Metzia 85b-86a)
Pt2 Exploring the Greatness of R' Hiyya (Bava Metzia 85b-86a)
Pt3 Exploring the Greatness of R' Hiyya (Bava Metzia 85b-86a)
Pt1 Sage on the Run: The Fleeing and Death of Rabba bar Naḥmani (Bava Metzia 86a)
Pt2 Sage on the Run: The Fleeing and Death of Rabba bar Naḥmani (Bava Metzia 86a)
Bava Batra
“I punished him”: Anecdotes About the Life and Death of Rav Adda bar Abba (Bava Batra 22a)
Pt1 R' Bena’a the Sage and Sleuth: Solving Two Mysteries and Rising to Judgeship (Bava Batra 58a)
Pt2 R' Bena’a the Sage and Sleuth: Solving Two Mysteries and Rising to Judgeship (Bava Batra 58a)
Pt1 Stories of Disinheritance and Consecration to the Temple (Bava Batra 133b-134a)
Pt2 Stories of Disinheritance and Consecration to the Temple (Bava Batra 133b-134a)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Pt1 The First Man: Talmudic Reflections on Adam's Creation (Sanhedrin 38a-39b)
Pt2 The First Man: Talmudic Reflections on Adam's Creation (Sanhedrin 38a-39b)
Refuting Heresy: Talmudic Responses to Heretical Claims of Divine Multiplicity in Scripture (Sanhedrin 38b)
Pt1 Defending God, Biblical Monotheism, and Jewish Distinctiveness: Twelve Dialogues Between Sages and Challengers in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b-39a)
Pt2 Defending God, Biblical Monotheism, and Jewish Distinctiveness: Twelve Dialogues Between Sages and Challengers in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b-39a)
Pt3 Defending God, Biblical Monotheism, and Jewish Distinctiveness: Twelve Dialogues Between Sages and Challengers in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 38b-39a)
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)
“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)
Pt1 Pride, Idolatry, and the Rejection of Repentance: Talmudic Interpretations of the Wicked Biblical King Jeroboam (Sanhedrin 101b-102a)
Pt2 Pride, Idolatry, and the Rejection of Repentance: Talmudic Interpretations of the Wicked Biblical King Jeroboam (Sanhedrin 101b-102a)
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)
Pt1 Wicked Kings of Judah: Talmudic Insights into Idolatry and Atrocities by Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon, and Jehoiakim (Sanhedrin 103b)
Pt2 Wicked Kings of Judah: Talmudic Insights into Idolatry and Atrocities by Ahaz, Manasseh, Amon, and Jehoiakim (Sanhedrin 103b)
Pt1 The Prophet, the Prostitutes, and the Curses Reversed: The Biblical Story of Balaam in Talmudic Interpretation (Sanhedrin 105b-106b)
Pt2 The Prophet, the Prostitutes, and the Curses Reversed: The Biblical Story of Balaam in Talmudic Interpretation (Sanhedrin 105b-106b)
Pt1 The Absurd and Brutal Practices of Biblical Sodom: A Talmudic Exploration (Sanhedrin 109a-b)
Pt2 The Absurd and Brutal Practices of Biblical Sodom: A Talmudic Exploration (Sanhedrin 109a-b)
Pt3 The Absurd and Brutal Practices of Biblical Sodom: A Talmudic Exploration (Sanhedrin 109a-b)
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)
Avodah Zarah
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)
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
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)
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)
Healthy Bones, Biblical Giants, and The (Literal) Decline (in Height) of the Generations: The Grave Observations of Abba Shaul (Niddah 24b-25a)
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)
Talmudic Studies and Interpretation
Studies, interpretations, or insights related to Talmudic texts, figures, or practices:
Naming, Onomastics, and Biography in the Talmud
Posts discussing the study of names (onomastics):
Digital Layout of the Talmud and other Rabbinic Texts
Digital Resources for Jewish Studies
Posts discussing various digital resources for scholarly study of Jewish texts and topics:
Medieval Jewish Literature
Jewish Studies General - Book Reviews, Conferences, Taxonomy
Study of Modern Jewish Culture and Literature
Posts that explore Modern Jewish culture, identity, and literature from various perspectives:
Halacha and Artificial Intelligence
Religious Philosophy and Apologetics
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Artificial Intelligence - General
About - Talmud & Tech
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Recommended books - General
Personal Genealogy and Family History
Posts delving into my family history and genealogical research:
Very helpful summary -- and really impressive body of work!