Rabbi Drew Kaplan’s Textual Insights
Rav Yehudah was a leading rabbinic figure in Persia in the third century (220-299) who often directly quoted his teachers,…
The appreciation a guest has for one’s host at a meal is to reciprocate in some way. While in contemporary…
Introduction: Appearances Wine appears in four statements in Avot – three dealing with wine as a vehicle for metaphors and one dealing…
There is a curious story in the Passover Haggadah that I wanted to explore: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי…
How did the early rabbis conceptualize sleep? Taking a look at the Mishnah, as one of the most significant pieces…
Introduction Rabbi Yehoshua, son of Levi, the mid-third century rabbinic leader,1 made two significant changes to the reading of the…
With Purim upon us this week and the attendant drinking that occurs, it’s fitting to wonder about the appropriateness of…
Recently, someone pointed out to me a curious drinking text related to Purim (Megillah 12a): והשתיה כדת – מאי כדת…
A rather curious text occurs featuring Abba Shaul discussing his experiences as someone who buried corpses (Niddah 24b): תניא אבא…
Having been alerted yesterday to a curious text, I began to investigate it. The text, as printed in the Vilna…