Talmudic thought in medieval Ashkenaz effectively begins with Gershom ben Judah, or Rabbenu Gershom as he is usually called. He headed the academy at Mainz and composed a talmudic commentary (embellished by his successors ...

Even a cursory perusal of the literature of the rishonim brings the reader face to face with the ways in which medieval halakhists dealt with social realia that appeared, prima facie, to conflict with talmudic law. On ...

Repetition of the quotation formula ( ויאמר and the like) is a common literary device used in biblical narrative to signal discontinuity. The discontinuity often involves a pause in the discourse. Instead of—or in addition ...

Clarity may be cherished by biblical interpreters; but ambiguity evokes their ingenuity, generating vibrant debate. Ruth 2:20, a turning point in the tale of two destitute widows who suddenly perceive a silver lining on ...

Although Rav Soloveitchik was well aware of the events of his day and of important events from both the Jewish past and from the broader history of the world, he evinced little interest, at least in his· published works ...

It has always been assumed that there is no need for students of ancient Hebrew—let alone students of Proto-Canaanite—to concern themselves with post-talmudic Hebrew1. That assumption, however, is shown to be incorrect by ...

For now, however, I point out the sophistication with which the Israeli religious Right has transformed the Zionist menorah. No longer a metaphor to be “returned,” the arch menorah is now a cipher for the messianic community ...