Babylonian Talmud

This week in Jewish history: Yoni and Entebbe raid, Law of Return passed

A highly abridged weekly version of Dust & Stars – Today in Jewish History.

 KIKAR YONI, Yoni Square in Jerusalem, is named for the heroic Netanyahu brother who fell in the 1976 raid on Entebbe.
 PRIME MINISTER Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement at the Weizmann Institute, which was hit in an Iranian missile attack in Rehovot last week. Netanyahu faces a unique opportunity to return the favor to the descendants of Cyrus, says the writer.

Three requests Netanyahu should keep in mind when handling Iran - opinion

 WHOSE LIFE comes first?

Parashat Behar-Bechukotai: Live and let live 

 Keilschrifttafeln werden im Rahmen einer Ausstellung im Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem gezeigt, 3. Februar 2015.

„Tod eines Königs, Fall einer Nation“: 4.000 Jahre alte babylonische Tafeln enthüllen dunkle Omen


Tractate Yevamot and the overturning of Roe v. Wade

The decision of the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade does not sound all that Talmudic, when looked at in the context of Tractate Yevamot

 THE ‘JEWISH RALLY for Abortion Justice’ rally near the US Capitol in May. The rally, hosted by the National Council of Jewish Women, took place two weeks after the leaked draft of the Supreme Court’s potential decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Is Babylon once again rising from the ashes?

First-person: There is growing evidence the Iraqi government is serious about rebuilding this ancient wonder of the world.

Iraqis celebrate after UNESCO designated ancient city of Babylon as World Heritage Site in July of 2019

Meet the TikTok star making Daf Yomi relatable for millennials, Gen Z

Miriam Anzovin is the millennial TikToker making Gemara more accessible on one of today's leading social media platforms.

 Miriam Anzovin

Abnormal construction material discovered in Babylon - report

The material has supposed connections to Babylonia's Tower of Babel, the myth that supposedly explains why different languages exist.

Cuneiform tablets detailing the daily life of exiled Jews in ancinet Babylon (modern-day Iraq) 2,500 years ago, displayed at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem

World's oldest drawing of ghost discovered on Babylonian tablet - report

The drawing is approximately 3,500-years-old and presents a male ghost with his hands tied by a rope, being led by a woman.

Cuneiform tablet detailing the daily life of exiled Jews in ancient Babylon (modern-day Iraq) 2,500 years ago, displayed at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem

Did dying on Rosh Hashanah make Ruth Bader Ginsburg a ‘tzaddika?’

“If you die at the end of the year, literally on the cusp, which is exactly when Ruth died, that means in a sense that you’re assured for that whole year because you’re one of the righteous people.”

People gather to mourn the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., September 20, 2020

The ashes of Jerusalem's biblical fall still show at dig near Old City

The researchers have been able to pin down the moment of the destruction to 586 BCE, when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and devastated its temple.

Givati Parking Lot Excavation at the City of David, Jerusalem.

Hadran Alach – We Have Returned to You

"Hadran alach, ve’hadrach alan”, Aramaic for “We have returned to you and we will return to you, dear tractate, and you have returned to us and will return to us.”

"Go and observe what the people are doing.” – Babylonian Talmud

12 year-old Israeli wins First International Talmud Quiz

The competition was held for both parents and children at the Jerusalem Theater and was an initiative of the Talmud Israeli project.

First-ever International Talmud Quiz in Jerusalem, Dec. 2019

Archaeological discovery helps prove Babylonian conquest of Israel

The current find is one of the oldest and perhaps the most prominent in its historical significance, as the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem is a major moment in Jewish history.

This is one of the Scythian type arrowheads found in the destruction layer from 587/586 BCE