Shows / Talking Talmud
Talking Talmud
Learning the daf? We have something for you to think about. Not learning the daf? We have something for you to think about! (Along with a taste of the daf...) Join the conversation with us!
Episodes
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 77: Indirect Ways of Killing - a Manual
When one person ties up another, and the tied-up person died of starvation, or of the elements (on delay), then the person who tied him up is exempt - unless…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 76: Examples of Extreme Death Sentencing
Complicated incestuous relationship - such as a man with a woman he raped and the daughter of that rape (don't we know that that's an unacceptable!?!). Plus, a…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 75: Burning Incest
Chapter 9! With a new mishnah too - on those whose crimes warrant execution, at this time, the death penalty is to be burning, including the adulterous…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 74: Sin and Save Your Life (with Exceptions)
A gathering of sages in an attic in Lod, and they were discussing martyrdom and when it was mandated. That is, most of the time, saving one's life takes…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 73: To Prevent the Sinner from Sinning
A new mishnah! When a person who is committing a crime can be killed - and what kind of crimes warrant putting such a person to death before he can commit the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 72: A Homeowner's Defense
The case of the burglar who is judged now for what is determined to be certain to happen later. Such that the homeowner would not be held liable if he killed…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 71: Narrowing the Possibility of a Ben Sorer u-Moreh
A page with 5 mishnayot: 1. To become a ben sorer u-moreh, the kid has to steal food from his father and eat it while on the property of others. 2. For the kid…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 70: Wine That Gladdens, Wine That Destroys
A new mishnah! From when is this son going to be liable as "ben sorer u-moreh"? He needs to eat and drink a certain amount of meat an wine (with dispute as to…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 69: The Very Young Generations of King David's Family
On the age of eligibility to be a ben sorer u-moreh the Gemara stipulates 3 months only, at the age of 13. But the mishnah stipulated physical signs of…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 68: The Loss of Rabbi Eliezer
Finishing chapter 7 and beginning chapter 8. First, a story about Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus and his death, put in context. The backdrop includes the oven of…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 67: How the Frog Covered the Land of Egypt
Two mishnayot and some stories: An instigator and his manner of convincing people to sin -- plus, his death sentence, and the rationale for making sure to…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 66: The Death Sentence of the Betrothed Adulteress
A daf of mishnayot - 3! Beginning with violations of the law that incur the death sentence with the execution of stoning. Beginning with Shabbat -- with just…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 65: How Do You Prove That Shabbat Is Shabbat?
A new mishnah! On the "ove ve-yedoni," necromancer and sorcerer, and when their death sentences (stoning) kick in. Plus, what are the differences between these…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 64: The Propensity of People to Do Evil
A busy daf: First - a story of how the people prayed for idolatry to be removed from the world, to diminish sin. Including the need for an egg, which seems…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 63: Pronouncing the Names of Idolatries
Any of the otherwise innocuous actions (hugging, kissing, washing, etc.) are problematic with regard to an idol, and incur flogging/lashes. But taking an oath…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 62: Violations while Unaware: Shabbat and Idolatry
A one-discussion daf: If one did several acts of apparent worshipping of an idol in one time period of unawareness of the violation - that entails one…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 61: Idolatry Loopholes: Intent and Practice
A halakhic discussion takes place when Rabbah meets Rav Hamnuna, who's looking for his oxen: 2 mishnayot contradict, over what point a person who plans to…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 60: Casual Blasphemy, a Historical, Habitual Practice
One who hears blasphemy from a non-Jew is not obligated to tear keriyah (in mourning for the desecration of the Name of God), as he would have been had the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 59: Not the Sciatic Nerve or a Limb from a Live Animal
More on the Noahide laws -- eating the limb from a live animal, in contrast to the Jews being prohibited about the same thing. But why wasn't the one…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 58: How Violence Destroys Holiness
Establishing the prohibition of the illicit relationship with one's father's sister -- with nods to Moshe's parents and Avraham and Sarah. Also, what happens…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 57: Can a Non-Jew Be Subject to Jewish Law?
More on the Noahide Laws - and the puzzling nature of law for people who are not necessarily paying any attention to Torah's requirements for them. Plus, some…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 56: Blessing God: The Need for Euphemism
A new mishnah! A blasphemer is only culpable once he mentions the Name of God. All testimony would be provided using a euphemism, until the very end, when one…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 55: The Role of Shame
A challenging daf, with the breakdown of details of activity or homosexual acts, for bestial acts, and so on. The sages tackle the topics with seeming…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 54: 'In the Way One Lies with a Woman'
NOTE: A difficult daf for modern sensibilities, specifically with regard to (male) homosexual practice. The sages deliberate how to understand and apply the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 53: Stoning or Sin-Offerings
How are other crimes determined to be subject ot the death sentence of stoning? That is, as derived from the necromancer and the sorcerer, depending on the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 52: Dignity Even in Being Put to Death
3 mishnayot! On the details of the process of the executions: burning, stoning, strangulation, respectively. Along with several rabbinic disputes along the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 51: The Bad End of the Kohen's Daughter
The death sentence for one who desecrates Shabbat (intentionally, with witnesses and warning) - stoning or burning? (the conclusion is stoning, but that's not…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 50: Why Ranking the Severity of the 4 Executions Matters
Coming back to the order of the death sentences of the court - descending order of severity: stoning, burning, beheading, and strangulation, plus the biblical…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 49: A Hierarchy of Deaths
Finishing chapter 6: King David's minister of defense, Yoav, who did not rebel against the king (in contrast to the other discussions of those who did, like…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 48: Kingly vs. Courtly Executions
A dispute between Abaye and Rava whether designating an item - in this case, a shroud - is sufficient to prohibit it from common use, or whether that…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 47: The Curative Graves of the Sages
If a person ate of the forbidden fats, he needs to bring a sin-offering to atone for it. But if he decides to stop observing the mitzvot between the time of…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 46: From the Executed to the Mourners
More on the issue of putting only one condemned person to death on one day, with discussion over whether the same violation and the same kind of execution (but…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 45: Even the Worst Sinner Is Human
A daf of (essentially) 3 mishnayot, with the Gemara thereon. 1. When the person to be executed was near to the place of stoning, they would strip the condemned…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 44: Brazen before God
More on Achan and Joshua... which leads to a comparison between Moses and Joshua -- and Pinchas, in terms of negotiating or litigating before God. Joshua is…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 43: Confessions
A page with 2 mishnayot! But first - more on the process of capital punishment, and specifically towards execution. Including, for example, who's property is…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 42: Acquittal and Convicted
Finishing the 5th chapter, and beginning the 6th, with a discussion of the blessing on the new moon -- a festive time. And a time of sanctification of the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 41: The Women Who Knew Halakhah
To be held accountable - and punished - the person doing wrong must receive official warning that the action is wrong, and carries this punishment. An example…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 40: The Importance of Witnesses
A new chapter, front-loaded with all of the mishnah from the entire chapter. Chapter 5 focuses on the ways the witnesses are investigated, given the huge…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 39: The Comeuppance of the Wicked: What Does God Think?
Another daf of Aggadah - with debates between Rabban Gamliel and the Roman caesar - including his daughter - over various philosophical issues coming out of…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 38: What Is Man That Thou Art Mindful of Him?
On a busy daf, the discussion turns to the creation of humanity -- beginning with the creation of one man (and only one as the starting point), and each…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 37: The Goodness of the Jewish People
Two mishnayot! First - a description of how the Sanhedrin sat -- in a semi-circle, so the judges could see each other. Scribes transcribed the arguments. Plus…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 36: A Hierarchy of Judges - and Torah Scholars
A comparison of Moshe Rabbenu to Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, and then eventually Rav Ashi. The question is what's going on. The court begins deliberations with the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 35: Competing, Contradictory Mitzvot - Which Wins?
There are days when a court won't hear a capital case, because the capital verdict is not allowed to be issued on the same day as the case is heard…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 34: A Blind Judge
In capital cases, one arguing for conviction can change and argue for acquittal, but not the reverse - if it's before the time of handing down the verdict. But…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 33: Default Innocence
Returning to distinctions between monetary cases being tried and capital cases being tried -- what is the procedure for handling new evidence? The mishnah here…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 32: Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue
Chapter 4! Beginning with a cluster of mishnayot -- comparing monetary cases with capital cases. For example - the number of judges, opening arguments, the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 31: New Evidence
A new mishnah! With the dispute over when and how a verdict in the property court can be overturned, with new evidence -- or testimony. Also, forming a court…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 30: Combined Testimony
When one who borrowed money admitted that he did so - in less formal circumstances than a court, for example, where the claim is that he has set the money…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 29: Witness Hazing - But in a Good Way
A new mishnah! How the courtroom works - welcoming the witnesses with some scare tactics to make sure that they testify honestly. Note that witnesses are…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 28: Yevamot for Witnesses
Relationship and relationship charts are the essence of most of this daf. What relationships disqualify relatives from testifying against or about a relative?…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 27: Disqualified for Being Family
A machloket between Abaye and Rava with regard to conspiring witnesses -- whether such a witness is disqualified from that moment onward, or also retroactively…
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Sanhedrin 26: Wrinkles in Intercalating the Year
More on the disqualified: First, people who use sabbatical produce as merchandise, during a year where the intercalation is done outside of the land of Israel…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 25: Interest and Pigeons
More on the disqualifying practices - in this case, lending with interest and flying pigeons. With discussion as to whether both borrower and lender are…
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Sanhedrin 24: Respect, Disrespect, and Disqualifiers
In the context of disqualifying judges, Resh Laskish expresses great respect for Rabbi Meir, despite his unusual opinion. Which deference the Gemara seems to…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 23: Judge Selection
Chapter 3! Returning to the courts for monetary matters of 3 judges, with more details and procedure too. The new mishnah addresses choosing judges for the…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 22: Matchmaking and the King's Coiffure
Another new misnah - the last one of the chapter, with more on the king, and how the people are limited in their conduct with regard to the king. For example…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 21: The Pitfalls of Knowing Reasons for the Mitzvot
Another daf with 2 mishnayot - on kings. First, he is prohibited from marrying too many wives - that is, no more than 18. With some dispute over whether that…
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Sanhedrin 20: Moral Paragons
On Paltiel, the second husband of Michal, daughter of Saul. But how could Michal have been with Paltiel as a wife?? Paltiel is included among others who were…
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Sanhedrin 19: Challenges of Raising Children
A king does not judge and is not judged -- but what kind of king is this? Specifically, the kings of Israel and not Judah (or Yehudah), the latter of which are…
- Talking Talmud
Sanhedrin 18: Limitations on Who Can Be a Judge
Chapter 2! With a mishnah about various legalities with regard to a high priest (kohen gadol), including him not being a judge nor judged. And issues of…