Or Zarua Talmud Class
The Or Zarua Talmud Class began its twenty-third consecutive year on Wednesday, November 2, 2011. This class, led by Rabbi Wechsler from 8:00 to 9:30 pm, always attracts a crowd and is a highlight of Or Zarua's Adult Education program.
This year we're studying jurisprudence in Tractate Sanhedrin. If it's possible for you to do so, it's recommended that you acquire a copy of the ArtScroll Schottenstein Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Masekhet Sanhedrin, Volume I, although you need not do so to attend the class. The volume is available in both the full size and Daf Yomi size (content is identical but type is smaller in the Daf Yomi version). The ArtScroll item number is TSA1 for the full-size version, and DTSA1 for the Daf Yomi size. The volume can be acquired from local booksellers or directly from ArtScroll, or from a variety of other online sources.
Here's a brief summary of some of the topics we've studied in recent years:
Our 2010-2011 class studied kashrut in Masekhet Hullin; our 2009-2010 class focused on Chapter 4 of Tractate Bava Metzi'a and the laws dealing with interest (that is, the impermissibility of charging interest) and the definition of what constitutes interest, as well as laws dealing with commerce, fair pricing, and the general precept of not doing harm to others. These laws, based on several verses in the Torah, give fascinating insight into the Torah's - and the Rabbis' - understanding of community - insights which are applicable in our day just as surely as they were at the time the Rabbis of the Mishnah and the Gemara were debating them.
In 2008-2009 we continued, from 2007-2008, our study of the first chapter of Masekhet Kiddushin, dealing with the topics of betrothal and marriage, as well as respect for parents and treatment of the elderly.
In the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 classes we studied Masekhet Mo'ed Katan, dealing with the laws of mourning. Studying this tractate has given us a great deal of insight into the origins of many of the practices and rituals associated with the mourning period and its practical applications made it an ideal tractate for study.
In the 2004/2005 class we studied Chapter 3 of Masekhet Shabbat, known as "Perek Kirah", which deals with the laws of cooking on Shabbat. You may know what ingredients you like to include in your cholent, but if you had taken this class you'd know HOW to make your cholent so it conforms to the laws of Shabbat!
No Hebrew or Aramaic knowledge is required for the class, nor is previous study of Talmud. While we do review the original text with the Rabbi, our discussion is in English and covers a variety of topics - as does the Talmud!
If you miss a class, or if you'd like to hear what our classes are like, feel free to listen to classes from the 2011-2012 season from the links below. Left-click on a file to play it or right-click and select "Save Target As..." to download the file to transfer to your mp3 player or to play on your computer. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy classes from previous years using the links at the top of this page.
November 2, 2011
November 9, 2011
November 16, 2011
November 23, 2011 - No class
November 30, 2011
December 7, 2011
December 14, 2011
December 21, 2011 - No class
December 28, 2011 - No class
January 4, 2012
January 11, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 25, 2012 - No class
Febuary 1, 2012
