Sunday Talmud

SUNDAY TALMUD 5780 – 2019-2020

This year we’re doing “Around the Year in Talmud” with selections from various Talmud tractates as appropriate for the Jewish holiday seasons of the year. Stay tuned for the handout booklet, should be ready before Rosh Hashanah for use throughout the academic year at UAlbany. 

SUNDAY TALMUD 5779 – 2018-2019

For Sunday Talmud this year we did a selection of talmudic pieces (mostly from tractate Menachos, but also from Berachos and elsewhere) about Tefillin – fitting for study right after our Morning Minyan and Tefillin. 

See here for the Talmud on Tefillin Booklet in PDF: SundayTalmudTefillinMenachos

SUNDAY TALMUD 5778 – 2017-2018

This year’s Talmud choice is based on some student feedback. We’re going to be studying selections of Talmud tractate Taanit (at least for the Fall semester), focusing on interesting and insightful stories and teachings. While we try to make the Talmud study as accessible to all, moving from a legal Talmud text style to a story-based one will allow more people easier access and participation, even without any prior Talmud experience. We will be learning from original Talmud texts with English translation. While Minyan Brunch is pretty much a guys thing, girls are welcome, especially for the Talmud study portion. 

SUNDAY TALMUD 5777 – 2016-2017

This year we’ll be studying the tenth and final chapter of Talmud tractate Bava Metziah. It’s a short chapter, only about 2.5 Talmudic folios (double-sided daf or blatt) so it will be reasonable to finish in one year’s worth of Sundays, without rushing.

The topic of this “Bayit v’Aliyah” chapter is “Upstairs/Downstairs” about landlords and tenants or co-op owners etc of a shared building, dependent on one another, and the various legal issues that may arise between them. While the Talmud often meanders from one subject to another, this theme is fairly consistent in this short chapter.

The goal will be to complete this chapter of Talmud by the end of the year, learning a little more each Sunday after the Minyan Brunch. We hope to get back to the review worksheets and other learning aids to be as accessible as possible for all levels of Talmud learning, open to all students.

While Torah Tuesdays require no commitment, you can come for one class or for all, given the nature of Talmud study it’s probably best for those interested in this weekly Talmud study to try to come as many times as possible to keep the flow and be in the loop of the ongoing discussion.

See this post for student discussion about questions at our Siyum, on the closing lines of this chapter and of the tractate Bava Metziah. 

SUNDAY TALMUD 5775 / 2014-15

For our first year 5775 / 2014-15 we studied the 4th chapter of tractate Brachos.

RRR – Review, Research or Reflect 

Minyan Brunch 5775 Sunday Talmud Gemorah Brachos “Tefilas HaShachar” Chapter 4 Segments

1) 26a5-26a6 First Mishna on time windows for prayer. Talmud’s differentiates between early morning “Vasikin” and also between prayer & timely prayer.

2) Brachos26a26b Make-Up Prayers (i.e. 2 Minchas for a missed Shachris) — Larry G.

3) Brachos26b Are the 3 daily prayers based on Patriarchs or on Temple sacrifices? — Avi S.

4) 26b3-27a2 Rabbi Yehuda’s 4th Hour, is that until or including the 4th hour? And determining Plag HaMincha.

5) Brachos27b28a1 3 lessons from Rav’s visit to Geniva’s House, and whether a student can pray directly behind his teacher. — Yonatan A.

6) Brachos2728LongStory Long story of R’ Gamliel, R’ Joshua & R’ Elazar ben Azarya. Can be subdivided into different segments, too. Why they impeached R’ Gamliel, R’ Elazar as a replacement, and the reconciliation. — Moshe R. Elliott W.

7) Brachos28b Mishna on R’ Nechunia ben Hakana’s short prayer before and after House of Study. Talmud with more elaborate Braysa on the same. –Matt H.

8) Brachos28bRYBZ Rabban Yochanon’s words to his students before his passing. — Justin R.

9) 28b3 Mishna on shortened Prayer, and challenging prayer circumstances. — Grant H.

10) Brachos28bWhy18 Why 18 Blessings? and how the 19th fits into those reasons? — Eric K.

11) 28b4-28b6 Shmuel HaKattan’s establishment of the 19th Blessing

12) 29a1 Abbaye and Rava on why Shmuel HaKattan wasn’t replaced as Chazzan? — Mendel R.

We still have a page and a half to the end! more topics to come…