A curiosity of mine for a few years now has been the noticeable absence, when reading through the statements of the early rabbis, as to why they do not mention a reason as to why Jews are supposed to light...
The Babylonian Talmud not infrequently records collections of statements from amora’im, starting off with one that connects with the immediately preceding discussion, but then continues on with other similar statements by that particular sage. One such semi-famous collections of statements...
One of the most popular statements in Pirkei Avot is that fourfold statement of Shimon ben Zoma at the outset of chapter four, included in which he inquires איזה הוא עשיר? השמח בחלקו, שנאמר יגיע כפיך, כי תאכל; אשריך, וטוב...
The most famous sorcery done by a rabbi in rabbinic literature is that by Rabbi Eliezer, the late first century rabbi. Not only does rabbinic literature portray him as being the most knowledgeable about sorcery, but even engaging in some!...
With yet another post as part of my many niddah posts, this post is actually somewhat of a throwback. Nearly eight years ago, I posted concerning a Talmudic excerpt about 3rd-4th century rabbis permitting menstruant women to immerse in a mikveh...
One of the most fascinating rabbinic texts concerning niddah (menstrual impurity)1 is not one of legal reasoning, nor a story, but the reasoning afforded to it2 (bNiddah 31b):3 תניא היה רבי מאיר אומר מפני מה אמרה תורה נידה שבעה מפני...
One of the most fascinating Talmudic texts concerning menstruation is that of Rabbi Meir’s statement, recorded on bNiddah 31b. However, something I noticed (years ago, but I’m just getting around to writing about it now, although I have referenced this...
There is an interesting term utilized in the Babylonian Talmud: “מפני מה אמרה תורה” – “On account of what did Torah say…?” Having been curious about this term, I discovered that the first sage to pose this question was Rabbi...
With the recent publication of an issue of a journal solely dedicated to dealing with ברכת שלא עשני אשה, I thought it would be appropriate for me to take a look at the original sources in rabbinic literature. However, before...
Years ago in yeshivah, I came across a fascinating beraita (bBezah 32b): תנו רבנן: שלשה חייהן אינם חיים, ואלו הן: המצפה לשלחן חבירו ומי שאשתו מושלת עליו ומי שיסורין מושלין בגופו. ויש אומרים אף מי שאין לו אלא חלוק אחד....
