The ‘Three Oaths’: Theologies of Cancellation and Resurrection (Kotzk Blog 504)

This episode– based extensively but not exclusively on the research by Professor Reuven Firestone[1] ꟷ examines the Talmudic concept ofשלוש השבועות or Three Oaths. It focuses on the theological tension between the Three Oaths, which prohibit a return to the Land of Israel until the Messiah arrives, and the desire to settle in the Land. The Three Oaths were designed to engender a non-militaristic and exilic ethos within the Jewish people after the defeats of the Bar Kochba revolts against the Romans. It also touches upon the biblical notion of מלחמת מצווה, Mitzvah or Holy War.