The Talmud Walks Into a Bar: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature

Though classical rabbinic texts are fundamental to understanding the history and evolution of Judaism, they are also quite complex and daunting for the novice to read. Rabbinic literature presumes tremendous prior knowledge, and its fascinating twists and turns in logic are disorienting for even those well-versed in the literature. In order to help readers to navigate this brilliant but bewildering terrain, this talk by Jordan D. Rosenblum focuses on rabbinic conversations about beverages, especially related to beer and wine. Free.

Presented by the Department of Jewish Studies as part of the Fall 2020 Lectures in Jewish Studies. Co-sponsored by the Classics Department and the Jewish Community Library.

Jordan D. Rosenblum

Jordan D. Rosenblum is the Belzer Professor of Classical Judaism and the Max and Frieda Weinstein-Bascom Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

His research focuses on the literature, law and social history of the rabbinic movement in general and, in particular, on rabbinic food regulations.

He is the author of “Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature” (University of California Press), “The Jewish Dietary Laws in the Ancient World (Cambridge University Press)” and “Food and Identity in Early Rabbinic Judaism” (Cambridge University Press). He is the co-editor of two books, most recently “Feasting and Fasting: The History and Ethics of Jewish Food” (New York University Press).