Dr. Ayelet Hofman-Libzon

02548-01 Law and Narrative in the Talmud 

The Talmud is the foundational legal compendium of Jewish law, yet it is also one of the richest and most fascinating works of literature ever known. This course investigates the interconnected relationships between law and narrative in the Talmud. We will engage in close readings of talmudic stories concerning the rabbinic masters and examine their relationships to the legal context in which they are embedded. Our study will afford novel encounters with the sages who created the Talmud, exploring their worldview and attitudes toward a range of subjects such as the authority of divine law in human hands, the limits of law in regulating human relationships, the paramount value of study in the rabbinic world, and more.