We are more or less done with the daughters of Zelophehad, (though are we ever really done with the daughters of Zelophehad?), but we are continuing with a midrashic sugya dedicated to the sanctification of the month/shabat/the curious holiday of the fifteenth of Av and what that is all about—and it seems to be about a lot of stuff. All in this wee…

On this pod, recorded and uploaded just before Pesach, we are gliding in for a landing on the large Daughters of Zelophehad midrashic run we've had for the past few dapim. Great to go into the seder thinking about the history of standing up to authority, maybe. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) fr…

There's more to talk about and learn about. The seemingly endless tale of the daughters of Zelophehad and Moshe. Including in this week's episode—what happened in the study hall? All in this week's daf. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3…

We're still working through the halakhic details of the case of the daughters of Zelophehad, and we've added working through the details of the Josephites and their claim for more land, and others who were denied a portion in the Land of Israel. Fascinating stuff here. All in this week's daf. Join us. This week's daf can found in the following plac…

Its a tour of Tannaitic texts, a veritable a Mishnah, Midrash, and Tosefta fabula in this week's daf. We focus on the daughters of Zelophehad and their inheritance and how that intertwines with the detailed discussions of inheriting the Land. Its all in this week's daf! This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Ar…

This week, within the continuing discussion of the line of inheritance we visit one of the most awful stories in the book of Judges, we check in on Solomon's worthiness to rule, we get some rules to live by and we bring to an end, the discussion of the mishnah. All in this week's daf. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page…

We finish the Talmudic discussion of the first mishnah and begin the discussion of the second mishnah. We also witness a throw down between Sages and Sadducees. (Spoiler alert: the Sages win.) All in this week's daf. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from…

Two new questions this week: 1. How long following an acquisition, a qinyan can one renege from the acquisition? 2. Why does the mishnah twice note, in different ways, that a woman does not inherit from her son even though she may bequeath to them. All in this week's daf. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and …

Still trying to figure out the order of inheritance. You'd be surprised how many different paths to bequeath and inherit there are. And then a short conversation about the judicial mechanics of inheriting, and a jaunt into "the rabbis don't know everything." All in this week's daf. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (H…

Once again into the breach. Can a husband inherit from his wife from the Torah? Or can only a son inherit from his mother? Three versions of the conversation in this week's daf. Also the two poems that I read this week were from Leah Naomi Green's first book of poetry The More Extravagant Feast available through Graywolf Press. This week's daf can …

Still trying to figure out the patriarchal precedence in inheritance. Zecharyah ben Haqatzav putting up futile resistance to the patriarchal hegemony. A fun little story about a rabbi on rabbi beatdown. And, of course, the gemara is worried about the estate slip-sliding away from the father's tribe/family to the mother's. It's all in this week's da…

This week we dive into a discussion of the idol of Micah which somewhat/somehow clarifies what the importance or significance of inheritance lines is. Then we get back into about who inherits—son or daughter? All in this week's daf. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew …

We are continuing our discussion of who inherits whom, and why is it the male? We also dip our toes into a more spiritual or ethical understanding of inheritance. All in this week's daf. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Ara…

It's a new chapter and a new conversation in which the Mishnah and then the Talmud takes on the question of inheritance—where did possession all start? Is that good or bad? Who gets to inherit? (Spoiler alert, on the whole, inheritance is another way to preserve the patriarchal line.) Well, let's get started. This week's daf can found in the follow…

To celebrate the completion of the second chapter of Baba Batra, I invited Charlotte Fonrobert, a professor in the Religious Studies department at Stanford University whose current research focuses on the rabbinic eruv, or Shabbat boundary, and the way that the laws and culture of eruv define Jewish identity. Our wide ranging conversation delved in…

(the original description:) In order to mark and celebrate the completion of the first chapter of Baba Bathra, we invited Prof. Alyssa Gray to discuss her new book Charity in Rabbinic Judaism: Atonement, Rewards, and Righteousness. Our conversation illuminates some of the poverty relief material that we saw in the first chapter, in addition to putt…

This is a hadran episode! We are finishing the seventh chapter and wishing it "see you soon" (what hadran means). This week we continue the conversation about dividing land and how to do that fairly. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. H…

Once more unto the breach. Can we nail down what is intended in the sale of a piece of property? How much off the mark can the assessment be before it is fraud? And what about the original division of the Land of Israel? All in this week's daf. This week's daf can found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.or…

This week we delve into another case of saying things with words, and then finding out that perhaps it is not the words but the possession. We also look at an example of the artistry of the stam. Its wild; and its all in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2.…

And … we're back. We're still talking about what the language of buying and selling means. When is a little more or less land in a deal a mistake or a fraud? Its all in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and A…

Its a new chapter! Its more of the same amazing conversation! What do words mean? Legally? Is a kur a kur? Is the hole part of the field? Part of the whole? Its all in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Ar…

We finish the Sixth Chapter this week in a discussion of found graves and abandoned graveyards. We also start the seventh chapter. just a bit. All in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramaic with many co…

Burial caves, the space of death, ground zero of space and place, in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramaic with many commentaries from Alhatorah.org Please be in touch with any comments, criticisms, o…

We continue this week with an interesting discussion of the ways that the people's perogatives impinge on private property. And the final space—the grave. All in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramaic …

This week we conclude the conversation about the magical, mystery ark and cherubs. Then we are back with a discussion of place and ownership, and whether or not and how individual ownership intersects with or confronts public claims. All in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) fro…

One more conversation about wine fragility, at least in market exchanges. Who is responsible for my wine going bad? A surprising mussar interjection from the Meiri, and Ben Sira also makes an appearance as we move away from wine and toward place and space. All in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (…

So this week we continue asking after what makes wine, wine and not water. Water into wine being a seasonal theme and all. We also ask after the thingness of wine. And other stuff. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramai…

Wine, gross wine, and really gross wine, and its historical or, at least legal implications. We continue our discussion of buying, and defining wine, and asking whether it is the fault of the stars that wine spoils. It'll be a blast. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Heb…

We are continuing with our conversation about how much stuff which isn't the stuff i bought should I be expected to accept along with the stuff I bought. When we finish with that we move on to discuss the knotty problem of what level of wine do I expect when I buy wine. (Also Rashbam is up in his feels about store bought wine…) Its a hoot. Trust me…

Hey, we're back. Missed y'all. In this week's daf we ask the evergreen question: "How much crap can you put in my wheat and I'll still pay full price it?" Its a question that will take us through a discussion of definitions and boundaries. Buckle up, grab a beverage and join us. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (H…

One last daf before Rosh Hashanah. We continue to interrogate the tension between rov/majority and hazaqah/the assumption of fact. And we end up with a couple of interesting principles of hosting. Its all in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and E…

This week we finish the fifth chapter and start the sixth. The fifth chapter ends as it started with a midrashic flourish, and the sixth chapter begins diving in right away with the parameters of legitimate commerce. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English f…

This week we follow the logic of guarding against criminal overcharging - taking advantage of drought conditions - (not) selling basic necessities - is wine a basic necessity? - exporting foodstuffs out of the Land of Israel - all the characters in the Ruth story - and in the "news you can use" category, what was Abraham's mother's name? All in thi…

This week we go further into the weeds of measures, measurements, and measuring implements and then take a step back to talk about how the "just scales" of Rabbinic discourse is different than the "scales of justice" of contemporary discourse. Its all in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew an…

This week we dive into and interrogate the slippery idea of accurate weights and measure, and fair trade in the marketplace. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramaic with many commentaries from Alhatorah.org Please be in…

Clear mishnaic text will be amiguified and then disambiguified in this weeks daf which follows and queries the tale of a child whose father sent him to buy some oil and then drama erupts. The ambiguity is where this text lives. So come, pull up a beverage and blintz (or other dairy delicacy) (for shavuot) and join us as we try to make clarity out o…

So… it's been a minute, but we're back. This week we go down a bit of an interesting rabbit hole about rural day labor in late antiquity. We also look at how our sugya was constructed. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Ar…

Several facets of acquisition are interrogated in this week's daf. What completes acquisition—measuring? agreeing on a price? introducing the stuff into one's domain? Then, what type of acquisitive choreography should be employed—picking up an item? pulling an item? Is one better than the other? Then, is the item bought all at once (in the case of …

This week's sugya dance deftly on the private/public/shared domain-- buyer/seller matrix, in the process interrogating what all that means. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramaic with many commentaries from Alhatorah.o…

When defrauding is not defrauding, but its non not defrauding. The narrow space of ona'ah, in the larger space of fraudulent selling and buying. Also, the role of the flowers of paradise and the fires of hell in the color of the sun. Its all in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic)…

What is a vineyard? What constitutes a piece of land? What is the connection between the prohibition of planting mixed crops and deciding if you bought the land with the trees? More fascinating definitional questions and we end with a somewhat theoretical beginning to a conversation about fraud. All in this week's daf! This week's daf can be found …

We're back!! We continue the conversation around buying trees and land, and how the traditions about the trees and land went from Palestine to Babylonia and back again, perhaps. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramaic w…

There are still more ways to think about owning land. In this week's daf and pod we consider how first fruits/bikkurim works and how it impacts our understanding of land ownership. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramai…

Apiary and Aviary ho ho! We do a moderately deep dive into beekeeping and dove keeping this week, continuing the dual streams of what you buy when you buy stuff, and can you buy or sell stuff that does not yet exist (i.e. futures)? It's all in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) …

So… is selling stuff like dedicating stuff to the Temple? What is sacrilege? How does this daf question the legality of futures trading? This and more in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Aramaic with man…

So … fraud. What do you do about it? Is it fraud? Also what comes with that donkey? Are donkeys essentially riding animals or pack animals? These questions and more in this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English from Sefaria.org 3. Hebrew and Ar…

"Words cannot be bought with words." This is the principle that the Talmud uses to navigate the thorny issue of a secondary market in debt. Can you buy acquire something which is basically just words on a piece of paper? Well, probably, but how? and why? In this week's daf. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew…

From the fantastical world of sea monsters we dive back into the constructed world of law. First, how does one buy a ship? But then, even more problematic, how does one buy something that cannot be touched—such as debt? We are also going a bit into the weeds of later Sages editing and rewriting earlier Sages and other such anomalies. All in this we…

Leviathan, Sukkot made of the skin of the Leviathan, a dispute between angels about the meaning of a verse, rabbinic resentment and reward, and then back to buying ships. Its all in this week's daf! Please join us. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) from Hebrewbooks.org 2. Hebrew and English fro…

Last podcast of 5781. More stories of the travels of the Rabbis down to the sea, out to the desert, to meet monsters, to see those who died in the Desert, to hear God lament at Sinai, to hear the wailing of Korach and his community. Its quite a trip. Join us. This week's daf can be found in the following places: 1. Vilna page (Hebrew and Aramaic) f…