WTF is The Talmud • If it is Broke, Fix It! Re-writing Torah (Bava Kamma 83b)

WTF is the Talmud? No, actually. What even is the Talmud and why should we study it?

This class taught by Chava Shapiro offers an introduction to the study of Talmud by looking at both text and history. We will be learning from the Talmud itself, learning how to navigate the daf (page) and gaining confidence with accessible online Talmud tools. Using supplementary materials, we will deepen our understanding of what Talmud study can offer to our understanding of and wrestling with Torah.

We will approach two short texts at the beginning of the quarter, Gittin 55b and Pirkei Avot 1:1. The remainder of the quarter will be spent with a sugya in Bava Kamma 83b. This sugya sets us up for some major questions about who has spiritual authority and what if the Torah has a bad idea that violates our own svara (moral intuition)?

Come for one class…