A weekly deep dive study partnership between Dan Libenson and Benay Lappe where they try to figure out how voices from the Talmud – voices from 1500 to 2000 years ago – can help us think in new ways about Judaism today.
The Oral Talmud is a weekly deep dive study partnership between Dan Libenson and Benay Lappe where they try to figure out how voices from the Talmud – voices from 1500 to 2000 years ago – can help us think in new ways about Judaism today. They have been releasing The Oral Talmud as a video series since they first started learning together five years ago, but are now making the jump to podcast platforms, starting with a brand new Episode Zero, reflecting on the whole learning journey. We’re so excited to learn with you! The first three episodes drop on June 23.
The Oral Talmud is a co-production of Judaism Unbound and SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. We are grateful to SVARA-nik Ezra Furman for composing and performing The Oral Talmud’s musical theme. The Oral Talmud is produced by Joey Taylor, with help from Olivia Devorah Tucker, and with financial support from Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah.
Dan: We are excited to announce that The Oral Talmud is launching as a podcast on June 23! I’m Dan Libenson…
BENAY: …and I’m Benay Lappe.
Dan: The Oral Talmud is our weekly deep dive study partnership, in which we try to figure out how voices from the Talmud – voices from 1500 to 2000 years ago – can help us think in new ways about Judaism today. Benay and I have been releasing The Oral Talmud as a video series since we started meeting five years ago, but are now making the jump to podcast platforms, starting with a brand new Episode Zero, reflecting on the whole learning journey. We surprise ourselves with new understandings of foundational Talmud narratives, interview some of our favourite Talmud scholars, and dig into texts neither of us are familiar with, always with the goal of finding the radical messages underneath the surface meanings. Here’s a little taste of what it’s like to learn with us.
Benay: What are you thinking?
Dan: First of all there are a couple of different ways you could read this
Benay: What does the way they’re telling the story teach us beyond the actual content of the story?
Benay: Examples of the Rabbis being radical innovators, even to the point of over turning Torah which to me was a mind blowing realization
Dan: There’s another valence of this that’s extremely powerful, to see it as the maybe more obvious version of the interplay of the old and the new.
Benay: Okay, now you’re raising something for me. I’ve always wondered how we’re supposed to understand the fact that Rabi Eliezer doesn’t immediately resort to miracles and invoking God.
Dan: and then another rabbi comes in and says, “From here there is a substantial protest to the binding authority of the Torah.”
Benay: Okay, now we have to sit back and digest this.
Benay: if you pay attention to the folks for whom the system isn’t working, you’ll know how the system will eventually come to not work for everybody.
Dan: it’s meant to say that radical is the tradition.
Benay: I agree completely. And this is them saying, “Stand on our shoulders, and here are the techniques. We did it. It will be traditional when you do it too, and we know you’re going to rework what we gave you. What’s most traditional about our tradition is how to change it.”
Benay Lappe: I never made this connection.
Dan Libenson: I didn’t make that connection either until you said it.
Dan: Okay, are we ready to go back to the text? Benay: Yeah! Oh-
Benay: Read slowly, because every line of this story is amazing and there’s so much there. Okay, so let’s go slow.
Dan: Welcome to The Oral Talmud, a co-production of Judaism Unbound and SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. We’re so excited to learn with you! The first three episodes drop on June 23.