Introduction to the Talmud Yerushalmi
This course gives an overview of the history and structure of the Talmud Yerushalmi or Palestinian Talmud. We will look at some key features of the text itself – both why it is so crucial and why it can be so daunting – and its relationship to the rest of the rabbinic canon, especially the Babylonian Talmud. Then we will trace the amazing story of the Yerushalmi’s transmission, from its creation in 4th century Israel to its rediscovery in 10th century North Africa to the dawn of Hebrew printing in 15th century Italy.
This course is .5 credits towards smicha
Further Reading:
Wald, Steven. “Talmud, Jerusalem”, in Encyclopedia Judaica 2nd ed, 2007
Meet Your Instructor
Rabbi Dr. Joshua Cahan
Liturgy
Rabbi Dr. Joshua Cahan is a writer and Tefilah Coach from Riverdale, NY, and author of The Yedid Nefesh Benscher and The Yedid Nefesh Haggadah. He spent eleven years teaching Rabbinics and Prayer at The Leffell School (formerly Schechter Westchester). He received his rabbinic ordination and a Ph.D. in Rabbinic Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, where he also served as Director of the JTS Beit Midrash, and spent eight years directing the Northwoods Kollel and Beit Midrash Program at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin. Rabbi Cahan’s expertise in liturgy and prayer spans the academic and the practical—he is an accomplished baal tefilla (prayer leader) and song leader, and has, in addition to the Yedid Nefesh series, published several academic articles on liturgy.
Smicha, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
PhD, Talmud, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
MHL, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
BA, Philosophy, Yale University
Very good overview and helped place the PT in context of the BT and other critical sources, as well as giving a very good historical perspective on how and why sources survive