The Iranian Origins of a Talmudic Midrash
Dr. Shana Strauch Schick Continue reading When Moses Was Born the House Was Filled with Light
The Mother of Moses. Artist:
Simeon Solomon 1860. Delaware Art Museum
Category Archives: Parasha
Genesis 5:22 - Enoch walked with God; and then he was gone, for God had taken him.
Enoch’s Walk with God Ends Badly in Babylonia
Echoing the Iranian story of Yima, the biblical Enoch morphed into the theologically problematic angel Metatron, and ends up being flogged.
Dr. Yishai Kiel Continue reading Enoch’s Walk with God Ends Badly in Babylonia
Close up of a Roman coin hoard, found near Frome in Somerset, England. Portable Antiquities Scheme
Hoarding Consecrated “Second Tithe” Coins
Evidence suggests that hoarding second tithe money held special, religious significance among late antique Jews. How did this curious religious observance develop? What might it have meant to the Jews who practiced it?
Amit Gvaryahu Continue reading Hoarding Consecrated “Second Tithe” Coins
Women of all cultures praying at the Western Wall. Meaghan O'Neill / flickr 2.0
Memorializing the Temple through the Maternal Practice of ‘Arakhin
In the wake of the destruction of Jerusalem, rabbinic literature’s presentation of mothers donating their children’s weight in gold to the Temple – following the rabbinic interpretation of ‘Arakhin – comes to exemplify both piety and tragedy. Continue reading Memorializing the Temple through the Maternal Practice of ‘Arakhin
The inside of the United States Supreme Court. Photo by Phil Roeder - Wikimedia
The Story of Shimon B. Shetah’s Attempt to Judge King Yannai
A Talmudic story (b. Sanhderin 19a-b) explores the separation of sovereign and judicial powers and the escalation that results when a judge seeks to exert his own authority Continue reading The Story of Shimon B. Shetah’s Attempt to Judge King Yannai
Does Halakha Uproot Scripture?
Prof. Rabbi Marty Lockshin Continue reading Does Halakha Uproot Scripture?
The Real Origins of the Rashi, Rabbenu Tam Tefillin Dispute
The Dead Sea Scrolls Tefillin and the Making of an Urban Legend
Dr. Yehudah Cohn Continue reading The Real Origins of the Rashi, Rabbenu Tam Tefillin Dispute
Innovating, Adapting, and Historicizing the Rules for Returning Lost Objects
The rabbinic rules of restoring lost property (השבת אבידה) include a requirement to announce the finds that possess identifying marks – סימנים. This post-biblical innovation is described in a variety of ways that highlight the manner in which the rabbis reworked and reinterpreted their traditions.
Dr. Shai Secunda Continue reading Innovating, Adapting, and Historicizing the Rules for Returning Lost Objects