Category Archives: Text Study

Rashi's Daughters

Jewish Texts - English, Judaism, Text Study, , , , ,

Today I finished reading the third in Maggie Anton’s series Rashi’s Daughters.   The series of three historical fiction weave the lives of our ancestors in 11th century France with the study of Talmud and the incredible lives of Rashi, his three daughters, his sons-in-law, grandchildren and community.  The popular volumes read accurately to me considering that outside of Rashi’s writings and responsa of the time we have little documentation of life in Troyes, France at that time.

If you haven’t read them, I encourage you to visit your local library or bookstore, open one of the volumes and start reading. I imagine that you will end up taking the book with you.

Maggie Anton is not the only contemporary author writing about Rashi.  Elie Wiesel recently wrote a mini-bibliography about Rashi which has gotten good reviews.  You can read Maggie Anton’s review on the Mixed Multitudes blog (from My Jewish Learning).

Have you read the books by Anton or Wiesel?  Share your thoughts in the comments.

Read and enjoy!

Weekly Torah Portion – B'khuqotai

Jewish Texts - English, Text Study

Yep – it is back – commentary and links to drashot on the weekly Torah portion!!

This week’s parashah is B’khuqotai, a rather difficult portion closing the book of Leviticus. One of the more difficult sections is the listing of rebukes which can be interpretated as if you mess up G-d gets back at you. But, not all understand them this way.

This week’s haftarah, from the book of Jeremiah, responds to the listing of rebukes through the lens of war and despair in his own day. Rabbi Andrea Lerner comments on Jeremiah’s response and how we might answer the age-old question of why bad things happen to us. My Jewish Learning has a copy of a drash she wrote titled Faith In Difficult Times: Jeremiah’s deep faith despite the impending exile predicted in Parashat B’hukotai can teach us to turn to God in the most troubling of times.

Go and study and may you find comfort and encouragement from Jeremiah’s words.

Study Resources

Jewish Education Resources, Jewish Texts - English, Jewish Texts - Hebrew, Text Study

In honor of today’s siyyum of the 7-year cycle of daf yomi (daily study of a page of Talmud) I am posting some new links for Torah study. They appear in this post and in the margin where appropriate. (Thanks to Temple Sholom in Eau Clarie for many of the links.)

Daf Yomi
E-Daf
Daf Yomi Advancement Forum
Daf Yomi

Torah & Tanach
Targum Onqelos on the Torah with parallel Hebrew and Aramaic text (Mechon Mamre).
Tikkun Korim (Unvocalized text as in the sefer Torah (Mechon Mamre).

Genealogies of People in the Tanach (ORT)
Reference on People and Places in the Torah (ORT)

Rabbinic & Medieval Texts
Four of the Major Sources of Oral Torah – Hebrew (Mishnah, Talmud Bavli Talmud Yerushalmi and Tosefta from Machon Mamre).
Talmud Bavli in English (Under construction.)
Rashi Study Source>
Rambam’s Mishneh Torah with Parallel Hebrew/English text (Mechon Mamre).
Seforim Online, a Source for Many Texts.

General Study Resources
Hebrew Books.org

As the sages said – Zil G’mor – Go and Study!