The Legumes Passover Controversy - Examining the prohibition of eating...
Examining the background of the kitniyot prohibition. Why it was accepted by Ashkenazic Jewry but not Sephardic Jewry. Looking at how the third Chabad Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek sourced this prohibition.
View ArticleMaimonides' Mishneh Torah in Manuscript, Part 3 - An intricate discussion...
Analysis of a manuscript written in Maimonides' own hand. How the structure of the law in draft form differs from the final text. Formerly on display in the exhibition, 'Marks Of Genius' in the...
View ArticleThe Most Illustrious English Jew of the Middle Ages - Jewish Personalities of...
Rabbi Elijah of London, a fascinating Talmudist, Halachist, financier and physician. Exploring some of his Halachic rulings and business dealings.
View ArticleThe Story of Rabbi Berachia of Lincoln - Jewish Personalities of Medieval...
A glimpse into the life and teachings of a relatively unknown English Tosafist, an illustrious medieval Jewish scholar, who fell victim to one of the earliest documented cases of blood libel.
View ArticleGondola Travel on Shabbat? - Jewish legal disputes in the Venice Ghetto
The Chief Rabbi of Venice's attempt to permit gondola travel on Shabbat. The life and times of Rabbi Simone Luzzatto, 1583–1663.
View ArticleThe Unknown Tosafist? - The life and times of Rabbi Moses of London
Henry III of England interferes in a complex divorce case. The story of an illustrious Jewish family living in England prior to the expulsion of 1290.
View ArticleThe Life and Times of Rabbi Yom Tov of York
A liturgical poet and Tosafist who led the community of York, martyred in the massacre of 1190
View ArticleMaimonides' Mishneh Torah in Manuscript, Part 5
How a variation in the Oxford Manuscript of Mishneh Torah sheds light on Maimonides position on prophecy.
View ArticleMegillat Esther in Manuscript
An interesting look at early manuscripts of the Megillah of Esther and its commentaries housed in the Bodleian Library at Oxford.
View ArticleThe Unconditional Promise of the Exodus
Must a prophecy come true? Can G-d retract a promise? Exploring Maimonides' Mishneh Torah in manuscript.
View ArticleMaimonides' Mishneh Torah in Manuscript
Textual analysis of fascinating manuscripts housed in Oxford's Bodleian Library, some written in Maimonides' own hand.
View ArticleThe Unique Prophecy of Moses According to Maimonides - Mishneh Torah in...
A divergence in an authenticated manuscript, highlights the importance of a single letter.
View ArticleThe Halachic Status of a Loan - Maimonides' Mishneh Torah in Manuscript, Part 4
Marriage, loans and the holiday of Sukkot, and the unlikely link between the three, in light of a textual addition to a manuscript draft of Mishneh Torah in the author's own hand.
View ArticleGondola Travel on Shabbat? - Jewish legal disputes in the Venice Ghetto
The Chief Rabbi of Venice's attempt to permit gondola travel on Shabbat. The life and times of Rabbi Simone Luzzatto, 1583–1663.
View ArticleThe Unknown Tosafist? - The life and times of Rabbi Moses of London
Henry III of England interferes in a complex divorce case. The story of an illustrious Jewish family living in England prior to the expulsion of 1290.
View ArticleThe Life and Times of Rabbi Yom Tov of York
A liturgical poet and Tosafist who led the community of York, martyred in the massacre of 1190
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