"Rabbinic literature presumes tremendous prior knowledge, and its fascinating twists and turns in logic are disorienting for even those well-versed in the corpus. In order to help readers navigate this brilliant but bewildering terrain, Rabbinic Drinkingexplores how rabbinic literature uses both the contents of a drinking vessel and the contexts in which they are drunk to survey key themes in rabbinic literature. Over the course of nine chapters, these themes build to introduce readers to the contours of rabbinic literature. The fact that important rabbinic concepts, from interactions with non-Jews to permitted actions on holidays, are conveyed via rabbinic discussion of wine and beer, for example, makes for engaging reading in the classroom, and beyond"--
Though ancient rabbinic texts are fundamental to analyzing the history of Judaism, they are also daunting for the novice to read. Rabbinic literature presumes tremendous prior knowledge, and its fascinating twists and turns in logic can be disorienting. Rabbinic Drinking helps learners at every level navigate this brilliant but mystifying terrain by focusing on rabbinic conversations about beverages, such as beer and wine, water, and even breast milk. By studying the contents of a drinking vessel—including the contexts and practices in which they are imbibed—Rabbinic Drinking surveys key themes in rabbinic literature to introduce readers to the main contours of this extensive body of historical documents.
Features and Benefits:
- Contains a broad array of rabbinic passages, accompanied by didactic and rich explanations and contextual discussions, both literary and historical
- Thematic chapters are organized into sections that include significant and original translations of rabbinic texts
- Each chapter includes in-text references and concludes with a list of both referenced works and suggested additional readings
