Talmud with Rishonim

Taught by: Rabbi Ethan Tucker
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 8:45am - 12:15pm

We will learn the Mishnah and its Talmudic sugyot in depth, with special focus on the rishonim (medieval commentators) and their insights into the difficulties and complexities present in the text. Our ultimate goal will be a synthetic analysis of the sugyot such that we can appreciate their historical development and the meaning that emerges from their final form. We will invest significant time in sharpening skills for reading and understanding rishonim, with a strong emphasis on Tosafot. By the end of the summer, a student in this course ought to be able to:
  1. Understand how to use rishonim to ascertain the key underlying issues driving a Talmudic sugya
  2. Describe the basic historical development of a sugya and a corresponding area of halakhah
  3. Conduct basic research into a section of Talmud through the use of rishonim