Shabbat

Embark on a journey of Jewish learning and discovery, exploring the depth of our Shabbat resources, where tagged items including audio, programs, and podcast episodes await your exploration.

Shabbat 147b: Sin City

Rabbi Jay Kelman

"Rav Helbo said: The wine of Perugitha and the water of Diomsith cut off the Ten Tribes from Israel" (Shabbat 147b). As Rashi explains, Perugitha was the name of a country that produced great wine, and while he does not explicitly say so,…
Article
Mar 7, 2013

Shabbat 140b: Don't Eat Your Vegetables

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The next time your mother tells you to eat your vegetables, you might try explaining to her that you are just following the advice of Rav Hisda, the third century Babylonian sage. (I doubt your mother will care, but it can't hurt to try…
Article
Mar 6, 2013

Shabbat 145: Home and Away

Rabbi Jay Kelman

When one studies Talmud, it is easy to forget that Sages quoted on the same page may actually have lived hundreds of years and hundreds of miles apart. A question posed by a third-century scholar in Israel might be answered by a fifth-century…
Article
Mar 3, 2013

Shabbat 139: Guilty as Charged!

Rabbi Jay Kelman

While we are unable to discern G-d's ways--and it behooves us to not even try--Talmudic rabbis were not so reticent in ascribing reasons for misfortune. Whether the Rabbis meant it literally, or gave cause to calamity as a means to…
Article
Mar 3, 2013

Shabbat 130a: Taking the Plunge

Rabbi Jay Kelman

One of the saddest statements Jews can make is, “It’s tough to be a Jew”. Why would anyone want to be part of a people identified with suffering, death, difficulty, or economic hardship, especially in an era where people are free to choose all kinds…
Article
Feb 18, 2013

Shabbat 118a: Shabbat Meals

Rabbi Jay Kelman

“Make your Shabbat like a weekday, and have no need [to take from] people” (Shabbat 118a). In Talmudic times, it was the norm to eat two meals a day; Shabbat was special in that three meals were to be eaten. Yet one who had enough food for two meals…
Article
Feb 13, 2013

Shabbat 105b: Anger Management

Rabbi Jay Kelman

One of the foundational laws of Shabbat is that only productive acts are prohibited; “all who destroy are exempt” (Shabbat 105b). At times, a seemingly destructive act is prerequisite for a constructive act, rendering such prohibited. Included in…
Article
Jan 31, 2013

Shabbat 104a: Alphabetical Order

Rabbi Jay Kelman

The Latin alphabet, used in many languages of today (including English), is a phonetic system where each letter—or combination thereof—represents various sounds. The visual format of the letter has no inherent meaning, and is rather arbitrary in…
Article
Jan 25, 2013

Shabbat 99b: Three Rabbis, One Opinion

Rabbi Jay Kelman

James Naismith is credited with inventing basketball, but a primitive version seems to have existed in Talmudic times. “Rav Mordechai asked Rava: [Given] a column in a public area that is ten handbreadths tall and four wide (and thus considered a…
Article
Jan 22, 2013

Shabbat 96b: Human Revelation

Rabbi Jay Kelman

Of all the 39 Melachot, it is carrying that, by far, occupies the most pages of Talmudic discussion. In the midst of discussing this prohibition, the Talmud (Shabbat 96b) turns its focus to the Mekoshesh eitzim, gatherer of wood (see Bamidbar 15).…
Article
Jan 18, 2013