Sitemap - 2025 - Talmud & Tech

Some Technical Notes on Sefaria Relating to Talmud: The Missing API Manual, ‘Grounding’ LLMs, and Emulating and Enhancing the Outlines of Talmud Tractates Chapters and Pages

Mapping the High-Level Hierarchical Structure of Classical Hebrew Texts: A Case Study of Graphing Talmudic Chapters and Word Counts

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

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

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

Pt3 Revealing the Order: Literary Structure and Rhetoric in the Mishnah

Pt2 Revealing the Order: Literary Structure and Rhetoric in the Mishnah

Pt1 Revealing the Order: Literary Structure and Rhetoric in the Mishnah

Pt3 What's in a Talmudic Name? Unpacking the World of Personal Names in Talmudic Literature

Pt2 What's in a Talmudic Name? Unpacking the World of Personal Names in Talmudic Literature

Pt1 What's in a Talmudic Name? Unpacking the World of Personal Names in Talmudic Literature

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

Pt2 Scripture, Logic, and Polemic: Proofs for the Principle of the Mass Resurrection of the Jewish Dead in the Future Messianic Era (Sanhedrin 90b-91a)

Pt1 Scripture, Logic, and Polemic: Proofs for the Principle of the Mass Resurrection of the Jewish Dead in the Future Messianic Era (Sanhedrin 90b-91a)

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

Two Years of Talmud & Tech: A Retrospective on My Approach and Methods, and an 'Interview' with an AI Academic Talmud Scholar

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

Pt3 Conditionality of Creation, Crowns, and Commitment: the Cosmic Significance of the Giving of the Torah and the Revelation at Sinai (Shabbat 88a-89a)

Pt2 Conditionality of Creation, Crowns, and Commitment: the Cosmic Significance of the Giving of the Torah and the Revelation at Sinai (Shabbat 88a-89a)

Pt1 Conditionality of Creation, Crowns, and Commitment: the Cosmic Significance of the Giving of the Torah and the Revelation at Sinai (Shabbat 88a-89a)

Pt2 Selections from my recently published 'Know What Not to Answer: A Systematic Critique of Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky’s Lecture Series "Da Ma She-Tashiv" '

Pt1 Selections from my recently published 'Know What Not to Answer: A Systematic Critique of Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky’s Lecture Series "Da Ma She-Tashiv" '

The Many Names of God: Divine Epithets in the Talmud

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pt2 'They Brought Them to Court and Stoned Them': Sex with a Betrothed Virgin as the Most Severe Sexual Prohibition in the Talmudic Literature

Pt1 'They Brought Them to Court and Stoned Them': Sex with a Betrothed Virgin as the Most Severe Sexual Prohibition in the Talmudic Literature

‘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)

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

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

Pt2 ChavrutAI Web App in Progress: Advancing the Vision of a More Accessible Talmud

Pt1 ChavrutAI Web App in Progress: Advancing the Vision of a More Accessible Talmud

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

Breaking Badatz: A Pesach Parody

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

Pt3 ‘Leḥem Oni’ vs. Luxury: ‘The Bread of Affliction’ and the Halakhic Boundaries of Passover Matza (Pesachim 35b-37b)

Pt2 ‘Leḥem Oni’ vs. Luxury: ‘The Bread of Affliction’ and the Halakhic Boundaries of Passover Matza (Pesachim 35b-37b)

Pt1 ‘Leḥem Oni’ vs. Luxury: ‘The Bread of Affliction’ and the Halakhic Boundaries of Passover Matza (Pesachim 35b-37b)

Pt2 Expressions of praise in the Book of Psalms and the Origin of the Hallel Prayer (Pesachim 117a)

Pt1 Expressions of praise in the Book of Psalms and the Origin of the Hallel Prayer (Pesachim 117a)

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

Pt3 The Confession, Punishment, and Atonement of Achan in Joshua 7 (Sanhedrin 43b-44b)

Pt2 The Confession, Punishment, and Atonement of Achan in Joshua 7 (Sanhedrin 43b-44b)

Pt1 The Confession, Punishment, and Atonement of Achan in Joshua 7 (Sanhedrin 43b-44b)

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

Pt2 The Seven Prophetesses of Israel (Megillah 14a-b)

Pt1 The Seven Prophetesses of Israel (Megillah 14a-b)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Introduction to the Talmud

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

The Legitimacy of Learning from Flawed Teachers: The Dilemma of R’ Meir Learning from Aḥer (Chagigah 15b)

Pt2 Aḥer’s Apostasy and Its Aftermath (Chagigah 15a-b)

Pt1 Aḥer’s Apostasy and Its Aftermath (Chagigah 15a-b)

Proposal for ChavrutAI: An AI Chavruta for Studying Talmud

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 8:16-10:3 (Megillah 16b)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 6:13-7:10 (Megillah 16a)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 5:6-6:10 (Megillah 15b-16a)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 4:1-5:2 (Megillah 15a-b)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 3:8-3:11 (Megillah 13b-14a)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 2:20-3:7 (Megillah 13b)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 2:6-20 (Megillah 13a)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 1:16-2:5 (Megillah 12b)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 1:10-14 (Megillah 12b)

Talmudic Interpretations of the Book of Esther: Esther 1:3-9 (Megillah 12a)

Pt2 Thematic Introductions to the Book of Esther in the Talmud (Megillah 10b-11a)

Pt1 Thematic Introductions to the Book of Esther in the Talmud (Megillah 10b-11a)

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

Letter Permutations (Tzerufim) in Medieval Hebrew Literature: Origins and Development

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

Pt3 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)

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

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

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

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

Pt2 Earthly and Divine Majesty: Encounters with Kings, Justice, and the Reflection of Heaven on Earth (Berakhot 58a)

Pt1 Earthly and Divine Majesty: Encounters with Kings, Justice, and the Reflection of Heaven on Earth (Berakhot 58a)

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

Pt2 Bodily Afflictions and Illnesses as Signs of Sin: Wounds, Edema (Hidrokan), and Diphtheria (Askara) (Shabbat 33a-b)

Pt1 Bodily Afflictions and Illnesses as Signs of Sin: Wounds, Edema (Hidrokan), and Diphtheria (Askara) (Shabbat 33a-b)

Pt3 ‘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)

Pt1 ‘Due to Sin [X], Occurs [Y]’: Divine Justice and Human Responsibility for Suffering and Death (Shabbat 32b-33a)

Pt2 Sensory Delights and Echoes of the Divine: The Talmud on Pleasures, Omens, Health and Microcosms (Berakhot 57b)

Pt1 Sensory Delights and Echoes of the Divine: The Talmud on Pleasures, Omens, Health and Microcosms (Berakhot 57b)

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

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

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

Pt2 R’ Shimon’s Flight from the Romans, Hiding, and Return: A Story of Persecution, Miracles, and Retribution (Shabbat 33b-34a)

Pt1 R’ Shimon’s Flight from the Romans, Hiding, and Return: A Story of Persecution, Miracles, and Retribution (Shabbat 33b-34a)

Pt2 The Four Sermons of the Mid-Second Century Sages in Yavne: On Hospitality (Xenia) and the Honor of Torah Sages (Berakhot 63b)

Pt1 The Four Sermons of the Mid-Second Century Sages in Yavne: On Hospitality (Xenia) and the Honor of Torah Sages (Berakhot 63b)

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

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

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

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

Pt2 Hillel’s Three Converts: Lessons in Patience, the Oral Torah, and the Golden Rule (Shabbat 31a)

Pt1 Hillel’s Three Converts: Lessons in Patience, the Oral Torah, and the Golden Rule (Shabbat 31a)

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

Pt2 Thief-Catching, Corpulence, and Virility: Stories of R' Elazar ben Shimon and R' Yishmael ben Yosei (Bava Metzia 83b-84a)

Pt1 Thief-Catching, Corpulence, and Virility: Stories of R' Elazar ben Shimon and R' Yishmael ben Yosei (Bava Metzia 83b-84a)

Pt3 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)

Pt1 Rabbinic Elitism and the Am Ha’aretz: Hierarchy, Hostility, Hatred, and Distrust (Pesachim 49b)

Pt2 The Biblical Books Nearly Suppressed: Reconciling Contradictions in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs (Shabbat 30b)

Pt1 The Biblical Books Nearly Suppressed: Reconciling Contradictions in Ecclesiastes and Proverbs (Shabbat 30b)

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)

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

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

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)

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

Pt2 The Celestial Spheres According to Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (Laws of Foundations of the Torah 3:1-9)

Pt1 The Celestial Spheres According to Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah (Laws of Foundations of the Torah 3:1-9)

Pt3 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)

Pt1 Talmudic Cosmology (Ma'aseh Bereshit): Earth's Foundations, the Seven Heavens, and Cosmic Dimensions (Chagigah 12b-13a)

Popular Myths About the Talmud: A Critical Examination

Pt2 From Babylon’s Ruins to Jewish Multitudes: Talmudic Blessings for Idolatry, Crowds, and Leadership (Berakhot 57b-58a)

Pt1 From Babylon’s Ruins to Jewish Multitudes: Talmudic Blessings for Idolatry, Crowds, and Leadership (Berakhot 57b-58a)