Shavuot night class, 5785

The following is the content of a class that was delivered on Shavuot night, 2025. The subject matter is Shevuot - Oaths. What was the oath at Sinai, and what are some other interesting oaths we find in the sources? The post explores some history, geography, and some famous controversies. Enjoy!

If the document does not load, or for a full-screen view, you can access the PDF directly: Click Here to View the Full Document

Comments

Power, Identity, and Pride in Babylonian Jewish Leadership

The Story of Bati bar Tuvi The Talmud at the end of Avodah Zara (76b) presents a striking narrative: כִּי הָא דְּמָר יְהוּדָה וּבָאטִי בַּר טוֹבִי הֲווֹ יָתְבִי קַמֵּיהּ דְּשַׁבּוּר מַלְכָּא, אַיְיתוֹ לְקַמַּיְיהוּ אֶתְרוֹגָא. פְּסַק אֲכַל, פְּסַק וְהַב לֵיהּ לְבָאטִי בַּר טוֹבִי, הֲדַר דָּצַהּ עַשְׂרָה זִימְנֵי בְּאַרְעָא, פְּסַק הַב לֵיהּ לְמָר יְהוּדָה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ בָּאטִי בַּר טוֹבִי: וְהָהוּא גַּבְרָא לָאו בַּר יִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: מָר קִים לִי בְּגַוֵּיהּ, וּמָר לָא קִים לִי בְּגַוֵּיהּ. This is like that incident involving Mar Yehuda and Bati bar Tuvi , a wealthy man, who were sitting before King Shapur , the king of Persia. The king's servants brought an etrog before them. The king cut a slice and ate it, and then he cut a slice and gave it to Bati bar Tuvi . He then stuck the knife ten times in the ground, cut a slice, and gave it to Mar Yehuda . Bati bar Tuvi said to him: And is that man, referring to himself, not Jewish? King Shapur said to him: I am cert...

The Divine Comedy – Laughter, Theodicy, and the Collapse of Coherence

The Avodah Zarah Narrative – Laughter at the End of Days The Talmud in Avodah Zarah (2a–3b) opens with an eschatological vision of Judgment Day. G-d, seated with a Torah in His bosom, summons the nations of the world to judgment and tells them to present their merits. They come proudly with claims: markets built, bridges constructed, bathhouses established, all supposedly for the benefit of Israel. But God responds with derision: “You did all this for your own benefit.” Mocked for their shallow claims, the nations protest: Had we been given the Torah, we too would have kept it. We were never given the chance, we were set up to fail. It’s a fair objection. And the response is even more disturbing. The Gemara reports that God did offer it, but they rejected it. And Israel? Israel received it by force. As Shabbat 88a tells us, God suspended Mount Sinai over their heads: “If you accept it, good. If not, this will be your grave.” No choice, no consent. So why judge the nations and favor Isr...

The Sukkot of the Self: From Broken Compass to Aligned Heart

We begin our journey with a mystery presented in the liturgy. The great poet of late antiquity, Kalir, in his hymn for Sukkot, makes a startling connection: "קֹשְׁטְ שְׁעִינַת עֵץ לְעוֹמְסֵי פְרִי עֵץ, זְכָר נָא לְהִוָּעֵץ וּתְשׁוּעָה בְּרֹב יוֹעֵץ." "The merit of [Abraham's] inviting [the angels] to lean under the tree, for his descendants who carry the fruit of the tree, remember, please, to provide them with good counsel, and salvation through many advisors." (Piyut for Shacharit, first day of Sukkot) This verse links our waving of the etrog —the "fruit of the tree"—back to the patriarch Abraham, who offered shelter to three wayfarers beneath the tree at Mamre (Genesis 18:4), and pleads that in this merit, we be granted eitzah tovah , "good counsel." But the textual web is even wider. The midrashic tradition teaches that the sukkah itself commemorates the Clouds of Glory that sheltered Israel in the wilderness, and that these cloud...

Search This Blog