JTS Torah Commentary

Rabbinic Judaism: Space and Place

Mar 15, 2016 By David C. Kraemer | Public Event audio

In the aftermath of the conquest of the Holy Land by the Romans and their destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, Jews were faced with a world in existential chaos—both they and their God were rendered homeless. In a religious tradition that equated Divine approval with peaceful dwelling on the Land, this situation was intolerable. In response, the Rabbis sought to build new “structures,” new homes for both God and Israel. Rabbinic Judaism: Space and Place offers the first comprehensive study of spatiality in rabbinic Judaism, exploring how the Rabbis reoriented the Jewish relationship with space and place following the conquest and destruction.

Does Judaism Oppose Slavery?

Mar 26, 2015 By David C. Kraemer | Short Video | Pesah

The Artist As Teacher

Sep 9, 2014 By David C. Kraemer | Short Video | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur

Explore the Esslingen Mahzor

The Problem With The Convert

May 21, 2014 By David C. Kraemer | Short Video | Shavuot

The Bitter Truth

Apr 8, 2014 By David C. Kraemer | Short Video | Pesah

This short video details the history of maror and suggests the possibility of a maror tasting to reflect on what best symbolizes slavery at a seder.

Clothing and Adornment: Sartorial Insights on Gender Definition in the Talmud

Mar 11, 2012 By David C. Kraemer | Public Event video

How does the Talmud define Gender? Dr. David Kraemer seeks the answer to this question by looking into how the Talmud discussed clothing and adornment.

Topics in Talmud: Kashrut

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture

The Essential Talmud: 10 Talmudic Topics Every Jew Should Know.

Topics in Talmud: Shabbat

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture

The Essential Talmud: 10 Talmudic Topics Every Jew Should Know.

Topics in Talmud: Bar and Bat Mitzvah

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture

Topics in Talmud: Conversion

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture

Topics in Talmud: Funerals and Mourning

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture

Topics in Talmud: Hanukkah

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture | Hanukkah

Topics in Talmud: Suffering

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture

The Essential Talmud: 10 Talmudic Topics Every Jew Should Know. 

Topics in Talmud: The High Holidays

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture | Rosh Hashanah | Yom Kippur

Topics in Talmud: Weddings

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture

Topics in Talmud: Matan Torah

Oct 25, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Text Study | Video Lecture | Shavuot

Noah’s Repetition and Contradiction

Oct 24, 2009 By David C. Kraemer | Commentary | Noah

Read the Noah story—the whole thing, from the very end of Genesis 5 and not just from the beginning of the parashah—and you will immediately sense that there is a problem. Why are there so many repetitions, tensions, and outright contradictions? Why are we told twice about Noah’s offspring (5:32 and 6:10)? Why does the story offer two explanations for God’s decision to destroy all creatures, removing them from the face of the earth—one explanation relating to the transgression of the divine/human divide and the wickedness of the human heart (6:1-7), and the other relating to human violence (6:11-12)?

Food’s Symbolic Burden

Dec 3, 2005 By David C. Kraemer | Commentary | Toledot

It has often been noted — and properly so — that Parashat Toledot is framed by two stories of deceit and dishonesty.