We can learn about the public presence of women in a given society by examining how various rabbis understood the story of Dina. We’ll witness the difference between Ashkenazic and Sefardic commentaries, between the Tanchuma and Bereishis Rabah, and between Ashkenazic and Sefardic halachic norms.

Between Ashkenaz and Sefard: Medieval Women, Biblical Dena, and the Public Square

Are our dreams significant? Do they have predictive value? Should we pay heed to their warnings? The Talmud seems to offer contradictory teachings on this subject, and this will lead us toward two classic approaches to this matter.

The Meaning of Dreaming: Talmudic Perspectives

As Italian Jews immigrated to the Ottoman Empire during the sixteenth century, many wanted to switch to the Sephardic liturgical style. The question then was whether it was permitted to abandon well-entrenched communal customs—a question that’s very much relevant today.

Liturgical Warfare Among 16th-Century Italian Jews

Does the mitzvah of honoring parents imply that parents wield halachic control over their children’s marriage? Intriguingly, this question became a factor in the tensions that arose with the advent of the Chasidic movement in the eighteenth century.

Is It Kosher To Elope? Marriage Without Parental Consent

This class traces the minhag of avoiding the recitation of the Friday night kiddush during the seventh hour after midday. When and why did this custom begin?

Friday Night Kiddush Between 6 and 7

The Talmud famously rules that a childless couple must divorce after ten years of infertility. Yet, this law has often been overlooked, a reality that goes back many centuries. This class explores how, when, and why this occurred.

After A Decade of Barrenness: What Actually Happens

In the previous episode, we witnessed some of the greatest halachic figures waging war against Machnisei Rachamim and a number of other piyutim. In Part 2, we hear the voices of the supporters.

The Battle Over Machnisei Rachamim (Part 2)

It’s a beloved piece of liturgy, recited as we begin the new year. But some of the greatest halachic figures waged war against it, suggesting that it expresses quasi-heretical beliefs. In Part 1 we hear the voices of the opponents, and Part 2 will examine the defense.

The Battle Over Machnisei Rachamim (Part 1)

In 1772, the Duke of Mecklenburg decreed that Jews could not bury their dead until three days after death. The Jewish community faced difficult questions about the mitzvah of burial.

Buried Alive: The 18th-Century Halachic Debate

A controversial wedding ceremony ca. 1550 sheds important light on the inner rabbinic process, the history of Jewish marriage, and the limits of rabbinic law.

The Cracow Couple and Rama's Remarkable Responsum