Turn it and Turn it
Drisha has often run classes organized around a shared theme or topic. Each season of Turn It & Turn It comprises all the lectures on a given theme, bringing you multiple complementary takes on an issue. This podcast spans two decades, putting some of our earliest audio recordings shoulder to shoulder with more recent and contemporary lectures - all exemplifying the principle that Torah demands persistent, multi-angled study. Turn it and turn it: there’s a lot to discuss!
Episodes

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
Alongside Talmudic rulings and discussions, there are hundreds of traditions that describe the personal behavior and habits of rabbis. These are descriptions, often at a very high resolution of rabbis' religious practices and bodily movements and gestures. Sometimes the behavior is presented as an example or proof of a certain halakha, while other times, it is scrutinized and challenged, as it goes against other known teachings. These many traditions reveal a culture in which the careful examination of the personal actions and habits of teachers, peers, and students, and the subsequent transmission and discussion of these recorded moments, was a central component of rabbinic training and study. What is more, the traditions disclose another dimension to rabbinic halakha. A concept that is often translated as Jewish law, that emerges through these traditions as rabbinic habit and way of life. In this series, we will analyze a selection of rabbinic traditions of personal behavior, and discuss their meaning and significance, what they contribute to our understanding of rabbinic culture, and how they reshape our notions of halakha. We will also use these materials to reflect on contemporary forms of examination of personal behavior and habit and how they impact our culture
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 05/02/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
Alongside Talmudic rulings and discussions, there are hundreds of traditions that describe the personal behavior and habits of rabbis. These are descriptions, often at a very high resolution of rabbis' religious practices and bodily movements and gestures. Sometimes the behavior is presented as an example or proof of a certain halakha, while other times, it is scrutinized and challenged, as it goes against other known teachings. These many traditions reveal a culture in which the careful examination of the personal actions and habits of teachers, peers, and students, and the subsequent transmission and discussion of these recorded moments, was a central component of rabbinic training and study. What is more, the traditions disclose another dimension to rabbinic halakha. A concept that is often translated as Jewish law, that emerges through these traditions as rabbinic habit and way of life. In this series, we will analyze a selection of rabbinic traditions of personal behavior, and discuss their meaning and significance, what they contribute to our understanding of rabbinic culture, and how they reshape our notions of halakha. We will also use these materials to reflect on contemporary forms of examination of personal behavior and habit and how they impact our culture
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 04/25/2022 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
This class studies the many meanings of the term Halakhah as they develop over time and considers what they say about the practice of Halakhah overall. Should we translate Halakhah as “law,” and if so is it the theoretical law or the practical law? What does it mean for something to be “Halakhah but we do not rule like it” (הלכה ואין מורין כן) or to be “Halakhah but not for enaction” (הלכה ולא למעשה)? How should we understand other uses of the term Halakhah, such as where it is used to introduce Midrashic teachings or to refer to a paragraph of a legal text? What significance is there to the more recent shift in which certain observant groups refer to themselves as “Halakhic Judaism”?
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/18/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
This class studies the many meanings of the term Halakhah as they develop over time and considers what they say about the practice of Halakhah overall. Should we translate Halakhah as “law,” and if so is it the theoretical law or the practical law? What does it mean for something to be “Halakhah but we do not rule like it” (הלכה ואין מורין כן) or to be “Halakhah but not for enaction” (הלכה ולא למעשה)? How should we understand other uses of the term Halakhah, such as where it is used to introduce Midrashic teachings or to refer to a paragraph of a legal text? What significance is there to the more recent shift in which certain observant groups refer to themselves as “Halakhic Judaism”?
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/11/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman.

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
This class studies the many meanings of the term Halakhah as they develop over time and considers what they say about the practice of Halakhah overall. Should we translate Halakhah as “law,” and if so is it the theoretical law or the practical law? What does it mean for something to be “Halakhah but we do not rule like it” (הלכה ואין מורין כן) or to be “Halakhah but not for enaction” (הלכה ולא למעשה)? How should we understand other uses of the term Halakhah, such as where it is used to introduce Midrashic teachings or to refer to a paragraph of a legal text? What significance is there to the more recent shift in which certain observant groups refer to themselves as “Halakhic Judaism”?
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/04/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman.

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
In this short course we’ll explore three questions about the halakhic system as a whole. The first question concerns the amount of room that the system has for creativity and diversity. The second question concerns the relationship between halakhic categories and ethical categories. The final question concerns the relationship between truth and justice – when the evidence is insufficient, is the role of the judge to uncover the facts, or to heal the discord?
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/18/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
In this short course we’ll explore three questions about the halakhic system as a whole. The first question concerns the amount of room that the system has for creativity and diversity. The second question concerns the relationship between halakhic categories and ethical categories. The final question concerns the relationship between truth and justice – when the evidence is insufficient, is the role of the judge to uncover the facts, or to heal the discord?
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/11/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman.

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
In this short course we’ll explore three questions about the halakhic system as a whole. The first question concerns the amount of room that the system has for creativity and diversity. The second question concerns the relationship between halakhic categories and ethical categories. The final question concerns the relationship between truth and justice – when the evidence is insufficient, is the role of the judge to uncover the facts, or to heal the discord?
This audio was originally capture from Zoom on 03/04/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
Confrontation with doubt is a central topic throughout the world of Talmudic literature. In our religious world of serving God, both for interpersonal issues and our spiritual experience, we constantly deal with doubt, both explicit and implicit. How should we live our lives as we are surrounded by doubt? This will analyze various Halakhic topics that will enrich our spiritual and intellectual discourse regarding the world of doubt. We will touch upon two main topics: 1. When are we stringent out of doubt? Is stringency born of doubt a biblical or rabbinic principle? 2. What situations create doubt? Is our only resort to certainty through the testimony of two witnesses?
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/09/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman.

Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
This season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Halakhic History"
Confrontation with doubt is a central topic throughout the world of Talmudic literature. In our religious world of serving God, both for interpersonal issues and our spiritual experience, we constantly deal with doubt, both explicit and implicit. How should we live our lives as we are surrounded by doubt? This will analyze various Halakhic topics that will enrich our spiritual and intellectual discourse regarding the world of doubt. We will touch upon two main topics: 1. When are we stringent out of doubt? Is stringency born of doubt a biblical or rabbinic principle? 2. What situations create doubt? Is our only resort to certainty through the testimony of two witnesses?
This audio was originally captured from Zoom on 03/02/2021 as part of Drisha's Spring Zman.