The Mekor Mayim Hayim podcast מקור מים חיים - ההסכת

On Zoharism . This is the midrash Gavriel mentioned: https://www.sefaria.org/Yoma.69b.9 Get full access to מקור מים חיים at mekormayimhayim.substack.com/subscribe

Friend of the blog Meir ( Faithless Flight ) joins Jochanan to discuss some of the topics recently covered on his substack, Willful Creation , specifically here , here , and here . Topics include the questionable obligation to follow ancestral minhag, the leadership problem within Judaism, and reasoning from first principles. Get full access to מקור מים חיים at mekormayimhayim.substack.com/subscri...

Last episode , we interviewed prof. Yair Lorberbaum concerning major hiddushim he introduces in two recent articles of his on the Hakdamah (introduction) and Hilchot Mamrim in the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah . In this episode we summarise his arguments in English and discuss their significance and implications: * What parts of the Talmud Bavli did the Rambam really say are binding and what is the role...

אנו משוחחים עם יאיר לורברבוים, פרופסור מן המניין בפקולטה למשפטים באוניברסיטת בר-אילן. נושא הדיון שלנו הוא שני מאמרים שפרסם לאחרונה ועניינו אותנו מאוד: * האומנם, לפי הרמב”ם, התלמוד הבבלי הוא ספר החוק (והאם) מפני שהסכימו עליו כל ישראל? * “פשט הדבר בכל ישראל”: הרמב”ם על אודות הסכמה על גזרות, מנהגות ותקנות במחקרו עוסק פרופ’ לורברבוים בתחום המשפט העברי, תורת המשפט, הפילוסופיה של ההלכה, ומחשבת ישראל. במ...

Issues discussed here include: The real factions in medieval Judaism ( not just rationalist vs. mystical) How Kabbalah became legitimised (Ramban/Nachmanides had a lot to do with it) How the Zohar was a rebellion against Ramban’s elitist legacy The Spaniard that Gavriel couldn’t remember the name of was Yitzhak ben Moshe haLevi, also known as Profiat Duran , an interesting character in himself. Ge...

When was the Tosefta composed, and where did it come from? Did Rabbi Yohanan know the Tosefta? Did the Geonim? And, of course, why learn it? Not what I (Johanan) thought. Gavriel explains. Some things we reference in the podcast: * Article by ‘YU person’ whose name escaped us (Yaakov Elman) * The project proposed by Gavriel as a way to better texts of the Oral Torah (aka the ‘Mishna Project’) * Mo...

This episode was intended to deal with the doctrinal and practical influence of kabbalah up until its culmination in Sabbateanism, including major updates from the current state of the literature. Unfortunately, our new microphones ran out of battery half way through, so only the first part survives. We hope to cover the rest (which really deserves an episode of its own, anyway) in another episode...

We are joined by Rav Noam Kaplan, שליט”א for a wide-ranging conversation about halachot commonly asserted today which Hazal … seem to have forgotten to tell us about. Topics include eiruvim , the kashrut of steam from food, bitter herbs, and the necessity of maintaining two sets of cutlery. Rav Noam received his ordination from R. Zalman Nechemia Goldberg. He has served as rabbi of the Auckland He...

בפרק זה אנו משוחחים עם הרב ד"ר זאב ספראי, שחיבר יחד עם אביו ואחותו את משנת ארץ ישראל , משאב יחיד במינו על המשנה הכולל חומר רב מהירושלמי, תוספתא, ומגוון מקורות אקדמיים יחד עם מקורות חז”ל המוכרים יותר. הפירוש פורץ-דרך בהבאתו את פירות החקר המודרני במתכונת נגישה לקהל הדתי. שיחתנו מתמקדת בדרך הפירוש ובהיסטוריית המשנה והתנאים. For our English-speaking listeners: while this episode is fully in Hebrew, iy...

* Karpas Reactionary note 3 - Karpas * Kitniyot Rumour has it that the popular Kitniyot Liberation Front is being outflanked by a radical, new group called RISIS… * Oats A good article by Rabbi Broyde * K’zayit R. Slifkin’s Evolution of the Olive * Revi’it Steadying the storm in the kiddush cup * Wine A link in case you were puzzled by Johanan’s little inside joke * Soft matzah We forgot to mentio...

In this episode, we start what will be IYH an extended discussion of the issue of kabbalistic influence on the development of halacha . Gavriel has been studying the history in some detail recently, and found that it re-radicalised him against kabbalah, whereas Johanan felt the discussion nuanced things somewhat. Chime in with your thoughts! Some of the topics we address: * The history of the rece...

In this episode, we speak with Rabbi Dr. Leonard Levy, perhaps the world’s foremost expert on Rabbi Yitzhaq Alfasi , the Rif . In his writings, R. Levy presents findings crucial to understanding the development of halacha in the Middle Ages. 1:50 Background to R. Levy’s dissertation; a theory of halachic evolution 14:40 Rif’s model of deriving the halacha from the Talmud 23:37 Sugya and the Talmud...

Sourcesheet . Funny meme: Thanks for reading מקור מים חיים! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Get full access to מקור מים חיים at mekormayimhayim.substack.com/subscribe

Our takes on a topic explored by prof. Shaye J.D. Cohen and colleagues here and here . Was the Mishnah born of catastrophe or of flourishing? When was it last edited? And is it an elitist or popular text? Get full access to מקור מים חיים at mekormayimhayim.substack.com/subscribe

A Succos shiur with both current and general relevance. Sources: משנה סוכה ג:ט ירושלמי סוכה שם (קיט בדפוס אור לישרים) בבלי סוכה לז:ב רבינו חננאל ותוספות שם (ד"ה כדי לעצור) רי"ף שם (יח:ב בדפי הרי"ף) ספר הערוך - נע - ב הלכות גדולות - הלכות לולב (רח דפוס מכון ירושלים) סדר רב אמרם גאון - סדר של סוכות (קעג בדפוס גולדשמיט) משנה תורה - הלכות שופר וסוכה ולולב ז:י השגות הרמב"ן להלכות לולב להראב"ד (חידושי ה...

We kick off our podcast with a wide-ranging discussion, touching on such topics as Rashi’s knowledge of Greek, lethal seder humras , and why there there are no quick fixes for halakha. Some sources mentioned in the podcast: Gavriel’s hagaddot and related research on the Seder Johanan’s article critiquing common mekoryist approaches R. Natan Slifkin on the kezayis (olive-bulk) and related topics Pr...