Episode 4: Retelling the History with David Kraemer
“What the sages had was imagination and boldness.They were deeply rooted in the inherited tradition, and, rather than that rooting holding them back, the rooting allowed them to go forward.” - David KraemerWelcome to The Oral Talmud, our weekly deep dive chevruta study partnership, discovering how voices of the Talmud from 1500 years ago can help us rethink Judaism today. This week Dan & Benay invite their first guest to the show: Benay’s own Talmud Teacher, David Kraemer! David is the Joseph J. and Dora Abbell Librarian and Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary and author of A History of the Talmud (Cambridge University Press, 2019.) How does David Kraemer’s history of Talmud deepen our understanding of the texts we’ve investigated so far? What does Kraemer believe motivated the sages in this great project? Who was the rabbis’ intended audience, and how has access to Talmud changed the role Talmud plays?Access the full Sefaria Source Sheet with additional show notes via this link. The Oral Talmud is a co-production of Judaism Unbound and SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please help us keep both fabulous Jewish organizations going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation at oraltalmud.com. You can find a donate button on the top right corner of the website.
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Episode 3: Misquoting God
The rabbis must have been leaving us a message. It says, "Please do to us what we did to God and whoever put the Torah together. We played fast and loose with what they were saying directly, and we understand that that means you’re going to do that to us, and we want you to." - Dan LibensonWelcome to The Oral Talmud, our weekly deep dive chevruta study partnership, discovering how voices of the Talmud from 1500 years ago can help us rethink Judaism today. This week Dan & Benay unpack one of the most famous stories in all of Talmud: The Oven of Achnai. A disagreement between the sages develops in a power struggle with God! How can the ways that the sages “defeat” the Divine show us the instruction manual for overthrowing them in turn? Where do we see these debates play out in our Jewish world? Plus some expansive conversation about how “The Oral Talmud” got its name, understanding our generation of learning as a third meta-Torah coming from the revelation at Mount Sinai. This week’s texts: The Oven of Akhnai (Bava Metzia 59a-b)Deuteronomy 30:11-16Exodus 23:1-3Access the full Sefaria Source Sheet with additional show notes via this link. The Oral Talmud is a co-production of Judaism Unbound and SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please help us keep both fabulous Jewish organizations going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation at oraltalmud.com/donate.
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Episode 2: Voiding the Torah
“Maybe the reason they were undoing the original covenant was to give themselves a little breathing room, saying, ‘God actually gave us permission to play.’” - Benay LappeWelcome to The Oral Talmud, our weekly deep dive chevruta study partnership, discovering how voices of the Talmud from 1500 years ago can help us rethink Judaism today. Access the full Sefaria Source Sheet with additional show notes via this link. This week we’re exploring another foundational origin story in Talmud: a re-writing of the already dramatic scene of receiving Torah at the foot of Mount Sinai. The sages say that when scripture says we “under” the mountain, that doesn’t mean the mountain’s shadow; instead, the rabbis say “under” means that God had literally picked the mountain up and threatened to drop it on us if we didn’t accept Torah! What if the Sinai covenant came out of duress and within a power imbalance? How and where did the Rabbis ratify our obligation if not from Mount Sinai?This week’s texts: “Beneath” Mount Sinai (Shabbat 88a)The Book of Esther (Chapter 9)The Oral Talmud is a co-production of Judaism Unbound and SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please help us keep both fabulous Jewish organizations going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation at oraltalmud.com. You can find a donate button on the top right corner of the website.
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Episode 1: Rebooting Judaism
“If you pay attention to the folks for whom the system isn’t working, you’ll know how the system will eventually not work for everybody.” - Benay LappeWelcome to The Oral Talmud, our weekly deep dive chevruta study, discovering how voices of the Talmud from 1500 years ago can help us rethink Judaism today. Access the full Sefaria Source Sheet with additional show notes via this link. Last week we celebrated and reflected on five years of our study partnership with a new “Episode Zero.” This week we bring you the original first episode, discussing a classic origin story within Talmud. What does the way the Talmud tells a story teach us, beyond the actual content of the story? What bold moves do we need at times of crash and upheaval?This week’s texts: Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai Secures Yavne (Gittin 56a-b)Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai’s Deathbed (Berakhot 28b)The Oral Talmud is a co-production of Judaism Unbound and SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please help us keep both fabulous Jewish organizations going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation at oraltalmud.com. You can find a donate button on the top right corner of the website.
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Episode 0: Learning Together
“I am responsible for my chevruta’s learning and my chevruta is responsible for my learning. I am invested in you.” - Benay LappeJoin study partners (chevrutas) Rabbi Benay Lappe & Dan Libenson as they reflect on five years of The Oral Talmud, and celebrate its transition from a video series to a podcast! Access the full Sefaria Source Sheet with additional show notes via this link.What do lasting study partners recognize in each other? How do they decide how and what to learn together? Find out what makes a learning journey exciting, possible, and loving! This week’s texts: The Chevruta of Rabbi Yochanan & Resh Lakish (Bava Metzia 84a)Widening the Doors to the Study Hall (Berakhot 28a)Make for Yourself a Teacher (Pirkei Avot 1:6)The Oral Talmud is a co-production of Judaism Unbound and SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please help us keep both fabulous Jewish organizations going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation at oraltalmud.com. You can find a donate button on the top right corner of the website.
An exploration of the Talmud through the “traditionally radical” lens pioneered by Benay Lappe. Whether you are a beginner to Talmud study or a long-time learner, by listening in on Benay Lappe’s study partnership with Dan Libenson as they explore foundational stories and material from the Talmud, you will discover the how-to manual that the ancient Rabbis left behind for future generations to help us re-imagine a new version of Judaism after the previous version “crashes.”
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