In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down for a special podcast with our host, David Bashevkin, to review the first topic that 18Forty covered: Talmud.

Though Judaism has many facets to its practice, Talmud study has long been one of its hallmarks. It is a sprawling text with many commentaries, and so can be analyzed from any number of perspectives. This episode highlight three: those of Ari Bergmann, Chaim Saiman, and Michelle Chesner. From its historical formation to its ideas to its format, the Talmud was analyzed at length for its 18Forty topic, and this episode highlights some of the key questions raised.

-How was the Talmud written?
-What should one make of the often confusing mix of ideas it presents?
-Does the text format itself hold any significance?
-Is Talmud study useful for anything besides Talmud study?
-What similarities does it have to other fields of knowledge?

Tune in to hear David review and reflect on his past conversations with podcast guests about the Talmud.

References:
Ari Bergmann interview - http://18forty.org/talmud/#bergmann
Chaim Saiman interview - http://18forty.org/talmud/#saiman
Michelle Chesner interview - http://18forty.org/talmud/#chesner
Take One podcast - https://www.tabletmag.com/podcasts/take-one
Legal Theology: The Turn to Conceptualism in Nineteenth-Century Jewish Law by Chaim Saiman
Nomos and Narrative by Robert Cover
Jewish Thought: A Process, Not a Text by David Bashevkin
Arba-ah Turim by Jacob Ben Asher
Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law by Chaim Saiman

For more, visit https://18forty.org/talmud/.