In 1827, Czar Nicholas I decreed that Jewish boys and young men be conscripted into the Russian army, a policy that shook Jewish life in Russia to its core. Communities debated and attempted various strategies to confront this crisis, and in that context, the Tzemach Tzedek was asked whether a particular approach was permissible. In this class, we’ll explore the historical backdrop, unpack the Tzemach Tzedek’s responsum, and work together to understand its meaning.

The Cantonist Crisis

In this class, we will delve into the architectural anomaly of the “four halls” described in Yosifun’s account of the Beis HaMikdash. This description contradicts the sources in Chazal, and as we will discover, there is a fascinating history behind how this peculiar design came to be.

The Four Halls That Never Were: A Critical Look at Yosifun’s Design of the Beis Hamikdash

What do you do when the government demands soldiers and says you have to choose who goes? That’s exactly what Jewish communities in the late 1700s faced when the Austrian-Hungarian Empire started drafting Jews into the army. In this class, we look at how the rabbanim responded to this impossible situation and uncover the moral struggle beneath their rulings. The Draft Dilemma: The Chilling Reality of Jews Deciding Who Gets Drafted

Can a Jewish community surrender one of its own to save the many? This class explores three cases from the 1600s and 1700s, where this wrenching question was brought before leading rabbanim. We’ll learn about the details of each case, the rulings the rabbis issued, and the Talmudic sources that shaped their decisions.

The Dilemma of Handing Over One to Save Many

Today, we’ll examine the debate in Venice in 1630 over a communal ban against gambling. Local leaders moved to outlaw games of chance, but Rabbi Yehuda Aryeh Modena pushed back, arguing that the community had no right to restrict a Jew’s freedom in this area. Along the way, we examine the authorship of an anonymous 1595 dialogue on gambling, offering an overview of the halachic arguments and a window into public attitudes about his subject at that time. The story comes full circle as we turn to explore Rabbi Modena’s unique and candid autobiography.

The Rabbi Who Couldn’t Quit Gambling

In 1725, Rabbi Zalman Hena published Shaarei Tefilah and sparked controversy by calling for a complete stop to the use of taam ha’elyon—the unique system of trop traditionally used for reading the Aseres Hadibros. Rabbi Yaakov Emden wasn’t having it and fired back forcefully in his Luach Eresh. This class unpacks their debate, the sources they cite, the Alter Rebbe’s position, and what we know about the two competing systems of trop for reliving Matan Torah.

Up High or Down Low? The Battle Over the Proper Trop for the Aseres Hadibros

Today, we’re picking up where we left off in the story of chidush hasemicha. We’ll look at what unfolded after Rabbi Levi ibn Chabib pushed back against Rabbi Yaakov Beirav’s plan and how the controversy evolved in the decades that followed. We’ll dive into Rabbi Yosef Caro’s role in the debate and then turn to the remarkable mission in the 1830s, spearheaded by Rabbi Yisrael of Shklov, to find the Ten Lost Tribes in a bold attempt to revive semicha.

The Great Semicha Controversy, Part II

After the Spanish Expulsion, a group of leading rabbis in Tzfas, led by Rabbi Yaakov Beirav, set out to revive semichah—the original form of judicial ordination that linked back to Moshe Rabbeinu. They planned to reestablish semichah through broad rabbinic consensus, but not everyone was on board. In Jerusalem, Rabbi Levi ibn Chabib strongly objected, raising serious questions about the halachic basis and the broader implications of the move. This class explores the halachic arguments, the historical backdrop, and the deeper motivations behind one of the boldest and most controversial rabbinic initiatives.

The Great Semicha Controversy, 1538

There’s a long and painful history of the Gemara being censored in Christian lands, but in 1728, a draconian form of censorship led to the publication of a heavily redacted Maseches Berachos. A fierce debate erupted within the Jewish community: was it better to print a mutilated Gemara, or not to print it at all? In this class, we explore the rabbinic voices on both sides, the arguments they advanced, and actual examples of the edits. It’s a compelling glimpse into a community grappling with impossible choices under the weight of galus.

Link to this 1728 edition:

https://books.google.com/books?id=IW9iAAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=true

The Doctored Talmud: Prague, 1728

Sometime in the mid-1400s, Rabbi Shlomo Duran of Algiers penned a remarkable teshuvah directed at a group of conversos in Spain. These individuals, who had been forced to embrace Christianity since the 1391 persecutions, had managed to maintain their Jewish faith in secrecy. Their question centered on how they could refrain from the worst forms of chametz on Pesach without drawing the suspicion of the authorities—an endeavor fraught with challenges. This teshuvah touches on many halachic elements regarding chametz and reveals the Marranos' historical struggles in mid-fifteenth-century Spain.

The Marranos’ Secret Pesach