There is a rave review in the TBR of Amos Oz’s Tales of Love and Darkness.
11/6/11
Talmud Bavli Hullin 133a-b - translation by Tzvee
D. It comes to teach, “Among the sons of
Aaron.” [This implies that he is excluded from] any rite that is performed by
the sons of Aaron [T. Demai 2:6-7].
E. And [it states] any priest who does not accept [the rites], does not have a share with
the priests. The implication is that [this applies only to a priest] who
does not accept [a rite]. Lo, if he accepted it, even if he was not
knowledgeable in it, [he has a share with the priests, contrary to Hisda at B].
11/4/11
Talmud Bavli Hullin 132a-b - translation by Tzvee
B. He
said to him, “Rabbi, [132a] let me turn it back on you. Aaron and his
sons are specified in the passage [excluding thereby the daughter of a
priest: “And the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat; it shall be eaten
unleavened in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat
it” (Lev. 6:16). “This is the offering which Aaron and his sons shall offer to
the Lord on the day when he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a
regular cereal offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening”
(Lev. 6:20). In other instances, mention of a priest subsumes the daughter of a
priest.]
Talmud Bavli Hullin 131a-b - translation by Tzvee
C. Here
too [131a] [it must be that] they came into his possession unseparated [from the
unconsecrated produce]. And this Tanna reasoned in accord with the view that,
Gifts that were not [physically] separated are treated [as pertains to legal
claims] as if they were separated [cf. I.4 E].
I.7
A. Come
and take note: Lo, if the royal administration seized a person’s grain in
the granary, if it was on account of a debt that he owed, he has to tithe the
grain [this is then a kind of sale], but if it was on the count of a missed
installment payment, he is exempt from having to tithe [cf. b. Git. 44a].
11/3/11
Jpost: Michael Freund is Worried that Talmud Teaching in Israel is Terrible
In jpost, "Fundamentally Freund: Teaching kids to hate Talmud" by MICHAEL FREUND claims, "The centrality of the Talmud in Jewish life now faces an alarming threat from a most unexpected source: Israel’s religious educational system."
The "alarming threat" to Talmudic centrality turns out to be that students find Talmud class to be boring and they say they hate it.
Alarmist Michael maybe needs to wake up to the fact that Talmud in fact is not central to Jewish life and that children are always quick to report that they are bored by school and hate most subjects.
Yes, it may be true that Talmud is taught poorly. But don't worry. That has been the case for 1500 years. With G-d's will, May it continue for another 1500.
And you can read our article about teaching Talmud the right way at the university here.
The "alarming threat" to Talmudic centrality turns out to be that students find Talmud class to be boring and they say they hate it.
Alarmist Michael maybe needs to wake up to the fact that Talmud in fact is not central to Jewish life and that children are always quick to report that they are bored by school and hate most subjects.
Yes, it may be true that Talmud is taught poorly. But don't worry. That has been the case for 1500 years. With G-d's will, May it continue for another 1500.
And you can read our article about teaching Talmud the right way at the university here.
Talmud Bavli Hullin 130a-b - translation by Tzvee
Bavli Hullin Chapter Ten
10:1
A. [The requirement to give to the
priests] the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw (Deut. 18:3) applies (1) in
the Land and outside of the Land, (2) in the time of the Temple and not in the
time of the Temple, (3) to unconsecrated beasts, but not to consecrated beasts.
B. For it [the contrary to A3] might
have appeared logical: Now, if unconsecrated animals, which are not liable for
the breast and thigh [which are taken from peace offerings for the priests,
(Lev. 7:31)], are liable for the [priestly] gifts [of the shoulder, cheeks, and
maw], Holy Things, which are liable
for the breast and thigh, logically should be liable to the priestly gifts.
C. Scripture therefore states, “And I
have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as a due for ever” (Lev.
7:34) —
D. he has a right [in consecrated
beasts] only to that which is explicitly stated [namely, the breast and thigh].
11/2/11
Are Jews the People of the Talmud?
A broad romantic version of a slice of Jewish religious history from an author who thinks that Jews are the people of the Talmud, "Becoming the People of the Talmud: Oral Torah as Written Tradition in Medieval Jewish Cultures," by Talya Fishman, reviewed by Lawrence Grossman, "How Jews Became the People of the Talmud: Thinkers Have Long Puzzled Over Oral and Written Traditions." We don't know what Fishman means. Even great Talmudists do not deem themselves people of the Talmud. Grossman reviews:
...As the medium transforms the message, two key substantive changes in Judaism wrought by textualization are discussed in “Becoming the People of the Talmud.” Clearly, the newly constituted “text” is more rigid than oral tradition, reducing the flexibility of the religious authority to reinterpret past wisdom in light of new reality in a way that does not disrupt the consciousness of a seamless tradition. Thus, Fishman notes, the Tosafists were often perplexed when they saw that customary religious practices that had evolved naturally differed from those prescribed in the talmudic texts, and so they exerted remarkable casuistic energy in attempts to reconcile them. But at the same time, the very availability of an authoritative book — especially with Rashi’s commentary appended — could make the presence of a live teacher unnecessary, and hence served to democratize Jewish scholarship.
What Fishman chronicles is, of course, just one example of how shifts in the way that Jewish knowledge is transmitted affect the nature of Judaism itself. Having superseded customary practice and challenged rabbinic authority, the textualized Talmud today faces competition from new modes of communication. Increasingly, Jews get their Jewish knowledge (whether accurate or not) with minimal effort via email, blogs and Twitter, and anyone who insists on a book can download a virtual one. The oral Torah’s transfer to cyberspace is, like its textualization 1,000 years ago, likely to transform Jewish life in unpredictable ways.
AP: Israel Education Ministry shuts Yeshiva in Yitzhar
AP reports:Israel has shut down a religious school in an ultranationalist settlement in the West Bank, saying students and staff "have been involved in violence against Palestinians and the Israeli military," The Associated Press reports.
The education department has also cut off funding to an adult seminary at the school in Yitzhar for teachings "inconsistent with Jewish, democratic and educational values" — including that the killing of Palestinians is justified under certain circumstances.
Talmud Bavli Hullin 129a-b - translation by Tzvee
C. He
[Zira] said to him, “This problem also bothered me. And I asked R. Abba bar
Mamal about it. And he said to me, `In accord with whose view is this? It is in
accord with the view of R. Meir who said that uncleanness that is concealed
from view does render unclean.”
D. He
[Assi] said to him, “And did he not many times state this before me? And I said
to him that R. Meir differentiated uncleanness that requires preparation [i.e.,
our case here] from uncleanness that does not require preparation.” [The
principle is stated earlier in the tractate at 72b, Zahavy, Hullin, vol. II, p. 181, to explain why
the foetus in the case there is rendered unclean by the protruding limb.]
11/1/11
Talmud Bavli Hullin 128a-b - translation by Tzvee
D. It
was cited in contradiction to this: Produce
which was severed but which is attached in part — [128a] R. Meir says, “If one holds the larger
part and the smaller part is pulled up with it, lo, this is deemed equivalent
to it.” R. Judah [b. here: Meir] says, “If one holds the smaller part and the
larger is pulled up with it, lo, it is deemed equivalent to it” [M. Tebul Yom
3:1 B-D]. [And the implication is] if not, it is not deemed equivalent to
it.
E. And
said R. Yohanan, “Reverse the opinions [of Meir and Judah so there is no
contradiction].”
F. But
what is the problem [if you do not reverse the opinions]? Perhaps R. Meir
differentiated [the uncleanness of a] tebul yom from other forms of uncleanness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)