Category Archives: Talmud

Chicago Censors Talmud

Jeffrey Goldberg writes in the Forward in 1994: If Graydon Snyder only knew that he would be convicted of sexual harassment for teaching the Talmud, he might have kept his mouth shut. But Mr. Snyder, a Bible professor at the … Continue reading

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Artscroll Prints The Censored Talmud

Marc B. Shapiro blogs July 29, 2015: ArtScroll is still worried about creating anti-Semitism and thus continues to print a censored Talmud. While I think everyone agrees that the ArtScroll Talmud translation is a masterpiece, opinions will obviously differ as … Continue reading

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How Does The Talmud Deal With Rape?

Adam Kirsch writes: “To calculate the exact degree of damage to a woman’s reputation, the mishna lays down a very pragmatic rule: “One considers her as though she were a maidservant sold in the marketplace, and assesses how much she … Continue reading

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Physical Pleasure vs Spiritual Pleasure

So in Daf Yomi (Eruvin 53B) this morning, the Talmud said that you should seize every pleasure available to you today because tomorrow you might be dead. The Hasidic rabbi hastened to explain that the Talmud clearly means spiritual pleasure, … Continue reading

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Should Ordinary Jews Study Talmud?

Historian Marc B. Shapiro writes: In all the discussions recently about the success of Daf Yomi, I didn’t see anyone note that one of the reasons this success is so surprising is that the whole notion of Daf Yomi goes … Continue reading

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Talmud Study Vs Daf Yomi

Joe emails: To me, daf yomi is a necessary semi-good, semi-evil. There is this belief that knowledge of the entire Talmud is part of being a torah jew. I would begrudgingly concede that it is a neat thing to have … Continue reading

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I Do A Page Of Talmud A Day But I Don’t Understand Much

I like to drink a couple of cups of coffee and stand there and listen to the rabbi and I feel like I’m doing something amazing. I don’t think I’d get up early every morning to struggle over one line … Continue reading

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What Is The Brisker Method Of Talmud Study?

According to Wikipedia: “The Brisker method, or Brisker derech, is a reductionistic approach to Talmud study innovated by Rabbi Chaim Soloveitchik of Brisk, as opposed to the traditional approach which was rather holistic. It has since become popular and spread … Continue reading

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There Are Parts Of The Talmud We Don’t Want Non-Jews To See

In his second lecture for Torah in Motion on the Chatam Sofer, professor Marc B. Shapiro says: “The Chatam Sofer gave his approval for the Talmud to be translated into German. What were the objections of the other rabbis? They … Continue reading

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