The Oral Talmud
The Oral Talmud
Podcast Description
An introduction to the Talmud through the “traditionally radical” lens pioneered by Benay Lappe. She, along with co-host Dan Libenson, will explore key stories and other material from the Talmud that was left there by the early Rabbis as a how-to manual for re-imagining Judaism after the previous version “crashes.” In alternating weeks, we will interview leading scholars of and thinkers on Talmud to understand the Talmud more deeply from the perspective of contemporary academic study and creative re-interpretation.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into themes of Jewish re-imagination, exploring foundational stories from the Talmud such as the covenant at Mount Sinai and Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai's reformative actions post-destruction of the Temple. It tackles topics like the power dynamics involved in covenant acceptance and the implications of these narratives for modern Jewish practice and faith.
An exploration of the Talmud through the “traditionally radical” lens pioneered by Benay Lappe. Whether you are a beginner to Talmud study or a long-time learner, by listening in on Benay Lappe’s study partnership with Dan Libenson as they explore foundational stories and material from the Talmud, you will discover the how-to manual that the ancient Rabbis left behind for future generations to help us re-imagine a new version of Judaism after the previous version “crashes.”
“ The big idea of what we’re doing is to say, well, if we can see what the rabbis were doing to the Torah, then we can potentially do that to the rabbis in the next era. Then I think the question gets raised, what are the categories that Judaism over the last 2000 years, may have constructed or approved of, that we now would not approve of?” – Dan Libenson
Welcome to The Oral Talmud, our weekly deep dive chevruta study partnership, discovering how voices of the Talmud from 1500 years ago can help us rethink Judaism today.
What happens when a label becomes a death sentence? In this episode, we continue exploring the case of the “wayward and rebellious son” — a law that authorizes killing a kid not for what he’s done, but for who he’s assumed to be. This text reveals the danger of turning identity into destiny.
As we’ve seen in previous episodes, the rabbis again pull a quiet revolution. Instead of rejecting the law outright, they squeeze it — narrowing it, complicating it, stacking impossible conditions — until it practically disappears. Identity becomes behavior. Certainty becomes doubt. Punishment gives way to accountability. We follow this move into urgent territory: who we amplify, who we silence, how private actors spark systemic change, and why justice doesn’t descend from institutions — it rises from people refusing to participate in harm.
This week’s text: (Sanhedrin 70a, 71a)
Find an edited transcript and full show notes (references and further reading) on The Oral Talmud webpage for this episode! Access the Sefaria Source Sheet to explore key Talmud texts and find the original video of our discussion. The Oral Talmud is a co-production of Judaism Unbound and SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. If you’re enjoying this podcast, please help us keep both fabulous Jewish organizations going with a one-time or monthly tax-deductible donation at oraltalmud.com. You can find a donate button on the top right corner of the website.
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