Din & Daf: Conceptual Analysis of Halakha Through Case Study with Dr. Elana Stein Hain

Bava Batra 10a

sources

On Bava Batra 10a, Rabbi Akiva and Turnusrufus have a discussion about whether God wants people to be poor or not. It turns out that Turnusrufus thinks that God must want there to be poor people in the world if they exist, and no one should intervene to change that. Rabbi Akiva on the other hand, believes that God wants us to intervene to help ameliorate the situation of the poor. This conversation is actually part of an ongoing debate between Greco-Roman thought and Rabbinic thought over what God wants, and how we know…In this shiur, we will examine to other conversations between R. Akiva and Turnusrufus in rabbinic literature that deepen this debate.

Dr. Elana Stein Hain – [email protected]