Class Resources & Information

This closing shiur will investigate the concept of yuhara.   When can a person adopt a stringency beyond the communal norm?  How do we know when to relate to such acts as genuine religious striving and when to relate to them as inappropriate pride?  I look forward to learning with you, Y Blau

Does Halakha always follow the majority position?  Why does our tradition record the minority opinion if we do not follow it?  is there a difference between a debate in the context of a beit din and outside of that context?   I look forward to learning with you. 

 Last week's shiur discussed whether or not one right answer exists for halakhic questions.   This week’s shiur will explore the possibility of legitimately ignoring the truth.   How did the other sages not concede when R. Eliezer brought miraculous proofs to bolster his argument?   Does the good of the system sometimes enable not following the absolute truth?  I look forward to learning with you.  Y Blau

Dear Participants, I lam happy that we will resume our shiur tomorrow night.  The gemara says: "Both these and those are the words of the living God and the halakha follows Beit HIllel.  How can two contrary positions both be the word of God?  Can food be both kosher and non kosher?   Is there one correct answer in Jewish law?  Furthermore, If both approaches are correct, why does the law follow one of them?  I look forward to learning with you.  Y Blau 

Dear Participants, Tonight's shiur will explore where debate comes from.  Do Talmudic  arguments reflect a breakdown of the system or the natural working of the system?  In  classic Jewish fashion, we will have a debate about debate.  We will work off a famous text of Rambam and also analyze  Arukh Hashulkhan's approach to the extent of halakhic debate.  I look forward to learning with you. YB

Dear Participants, This week’s shiur will explore the question of Torah she’be’al peh.   We will begin with the debate at the time of  bayit sheni between the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  Then, we will investigate the arguments on behalf of the existence of the oral law.  Finally, we will focus the bulk of our energies on various theories explaining why God chose to include an oral component in His Torah.   I Look forward to learning with you.  YB    

Dear Participants,  We will focus more on the prohibition against detracting from the Torah.  As we mentioned, it is not obvious what this issur adds to the existing need to fulfill all our halakhic obligations. We will explore several theories to deal with this problem. We will also look at the famous aggada that Adam and Eve erred by adding a prohibition not to touch the tree of knowledge.  What does that story indicate about the legitimacy of creating fences to protect the Torah?  I look forward to leraning with you.   

Dear Participants,  I was originally going to move on to a totally separate topic this week but your comments last week inspired some research and I found some very interesting material.  We will focus more on the prohibition against detracting from the Torah.  As we mentioned, it is not obvious what this issur adds to the existing need to fulfill all our halakhic obligations. We will explore several theories to deal with this problem. We will also look at the famous aggada that Adam and Eve erred by adding a prohibition not to touch the tree of knowledge.  What does that story indicate about the legitimacy of creating protective fences?  I look forward to learning with you, Y Blau  

Dear Participants, I look forward to some  productive learning together over the next months.  The first shiur will explore the prohibitions against adding to and subtracting from Torah.  What are the rationales for these prohibitions and when do they apply?  Why do rabbinic enactments not violate this principle?  

All the best, Y Blau