Note: This podcast is AI generated

This is an audio summary based primarily on Richard Hidary's article Talmudic Topoi: The Hermeneutical Methods of Midrash and Greco-Roman Rhetoric. This podcast explores how early rabbis integrated methods also found in Greco-Roman rhetorical schools into the development of Mishnaic hermeneutics. While scholars like David Daube and R' Saul Lieberman highlight direct parallels between Hillel’s seven rules and classical logic the rabbis themselves remained deeply skeptical of unbridled human reason. They utilized these tools to ground oral traditions in Scripture and engage with surrounding intellectual cultures, yet they simultaneously established strict legal limitations to prevent logic from undermining traditional authority. Ultimately, the sources depict a complex rabbinic encounter with Hellenism where rhetorical dexterity was embraced as a persuasive necessity but was always held subordinate to received tradition and divine revelation.

I do not necessarily personally subscribe to all the views contained in this recording and will be discussing this work as well as the sources upon which it is based when our Avot/Paterfamilias shiur gets up to Hillel's Mishnayot.

The previous AI podcast received positive feedback and we will try to include one any week where a live recording was not done. Any additional feedback is welcome and appreciated.

Pirkei Avot 1:5-6

This week we encounter the first zugot (pairs) and learn about their lives and how their statements reflect the period in which they lived (overlapping with Hanukkah) . The statement of these sages seems to be in dialog (tension?) and represents different priorities for the leaders of the generation. We use Yose ben Yoezer's statement to shed light on an enigmatic passage in Yerushalmi Kiddushin and point out a textual variant that makes Yose ben Yohanan's statement regarding conversing with women more comprehensible.

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TEST AI PODCAST: R' Yehoshua ben Perahia the exorcist

I used an AI pdf to podcast creation tool to create this recording analyzing an academic article which explores the fact that R' Yehoshua ben Perahia (of Pirkei Avot fame) is listed in 5-6 century magic Aramic bowls (sort of house amulets) as an exorcist. The source material is here. I thought the AI did a very nice job.

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Yechezkel Chapters 5 & 6: The Worst of the Cursed

We contrast the ghoulish prophecy of punishment with the curses of Vayikra 26

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 8

Special Chanukah Excursus: Yohanan Kohen Gadol

We explore a missing link in the chain of the mesorah, John Hyrkanus of the Hasmonean family. Who was he and why is such an illustrious figure absent from the first perek of Avot?

Josephus tells a compelling story to explain all of this.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 7“The reward of a thing well done is having done it.” - Ralph Waldo EmersonIn this episode we offer two radically different resolutions for understanding the puzzling and perhaps controversial statement of Antigonis of Sokho.

And then we offer a third.

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**RE-RELEASE**

Learning Genesis in depth can feel a lot like trying to swallow the ocean. We start by setting a framework for our study, meeting some of the less-common commentaries who will help guide us such as Rabbi Shmuel Dovid Luzzato (ShaDaL), Rabbi Benno Jacob, Rabbi Moshe Dovid (Umberto) Cassuto, JPS/Nahum Sarna, Andre LaCocque and R' Yonatan (Jonathan) Grossman.

We discuss discrepancies between the Chumash and science; eg birds are created before land animals while evolutionarily that order is necessarily reversed - and propose to use the late Stephen Gould's NOMA framework so that while science may tell us the 'what' of our world, Torah tells us the 'so what', as in so what does God want from me and how can I have a relationship with God?

Yechezkel Chapter 4: Ezekiel Bread

More symbolic acts in this chapter, which challenges us to understand what Ezekiel is meant to understand from these behaviors. Are they for him? For others? Both? We offer an approach that relates these strange acts to components of the service in the Bais HaMikdash which is coming to an end.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 6

The controversy of Antigonis of Sokho

This week we ground the transition from Shimon HaTzaddik to Antigonis historically, and read exerpts from Ben Sira which is the source for the liturgical piyyut Ma'areh Kohen. We note Antigonis is a unique character in the chain of mesorah and explore whether or not his teaching can be seen as part of normative Judaism.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 5

Simon the Righteous, a thrice told tale?

We round out our discussion of siyag and share Elias Bickerman's observation regarding the chain of tradition in Avot as a response to Matthew 1. We move on to the second mishna and explore several stories of Shimon HaTzaddik.

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Yechezkel Chapter 3: Shhhh, it's a trap!

In this chapter the prophet is again prompted to deliver his message to a recalcitrant people. Once again he is instructed to perform symbolic acts including remaining mute, shut in his home, and bound by ropes.

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 4

Who guards the guardians?

First we note that the idea of establishing many students is a Hillel, not a Shammai, pedagogical approach. Next we examine the concept of siyag (fence, boundry) in the historical context of the 2nd century CE's various Jewish factions. We note the source for this idea seems to be Vayikra 18:30 (see Yevamot 21a) which itself is a rabbinic derivation.

The idea of siyag was a point of contention between the Pharisees, Sadducees, the Dead Sea Sect, the Christians and many others. Next time we will see how critical it is to determining which which disagreements are tolerated and which are not, within the Rabbinic (Pharisaic) Judaism of Rebbi's world.

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Yechezkel Chapter 2: Eating Woe

In this chapter the prophet recovers from the overwhelming theophany of the previous chapter and is endowed with a mission whose chances for success appear bleak. We wonder why it was necessary for Ezekiel to perform this bizarre symbolic act of eating and offer an explanation tied to the first chapter of Daniel and the fruit of the tree of good and evil (please see the relevant previous recordings for more details).

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 3

What was received at Sinai?

We return to the question of why the first Mishnah omits a mention of God as the giver of the Torah and instead focuses on the fact that the Torah was received from Sinai. We contrast this with Avot d'Rebbi Natan which does include Hashem in the process.

To explain this surprising composition we note another phrase that is described as 'from Sinai' - Halakha l'Moshe miSinai, and investigate how this concept can shed light on the intention of the Mishna to offer the broadest possible understanding of what exactly was transmitted as part of the 'oral' Torah.

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Excursus on Maaseh Merkava - Theophany? Mystical Experience? Mind Palace?

We take a deep dive into the meaning of Ezekiel's vision of the divine transport, arguing what was envisioned was not in fact a chariot at all. We discuss some of the history related to mystical approaches to Yechezkel's prophecy and offer an alternative understanding of the vehicle in question based on the description of the lavers in the Beit HaMikdash (Temple).

We also offer a sustained comparison between the language and motifs of the revelation in chapter 1 with very similar language used to describe elements of the flood in the story of Noah. We offer a theory as to why these textual hints are embedded in our story.

More on the omniwheel (and the notion of Ezekiel seeing a UFO) can be found here. A brief animation of the omniwheel in use by the lavers of the Bayit is viewable here

Lastly, here is a relief that is roughly contemporaneous to the time of Yechezkel showing a royal chariot

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 2

What is Mesorah?

In this episode we discuss the historical context for the composition of the Mishnah. We then uncover perhaps the most profound lesson of Avot, that part of the Torah sh'Baal Peh are the new insights and innovations, not from Sinai, but created by those who are the conduit of the mesorah from one generation to the next. Those 'Avot' don't just transmit the oral Torah, they contribute to it. We see this from the first Mishna which itself was clearly not said at Sinai, and we see it from the fact that the innovative statements of Avot are (largely) not sourced in Torah verses, nor are they even Rabbinically required (one has not violated halacha or sinned if s/he has not made their house a meeting place for the Sages (1:4) for instance.

Lastly, we point out that the intended audience for Avot is not the average layperson. This is also seen from the first mishnah where the statements of the Men of the Great Assembly are addressed not to the average joe, but their colleagues, other Avot.

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The Work of the Divine Chariot

Welcome to Sefer Yechezkel, this week we introduce the book, provide some historical background and explain why we are learning this first chapter, known as Maaseh Merkava (full disclosure, no secrets were uncovered).

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Paterfamilias: Decoding the Secrets of Mishnah Avot - episode 1

What is Mishnah?

Where did it come from, what is its purpose, and who wrote it?

In this introductory shiur we try to look at as a stand alone work and understand it on its own terms. We challenge some of the basic assumptions about Mishnah which may have been picked up in grade school, and begin to build an argument for the geopolitical motivations for compiling and canonizing this body of work.

Finally we begin to study the first Mishnah in (Pirkei) Avot and begin to wonder about the phrasing of the chain of tradition.

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Prosthetics, Energy Healing and Psychedelics in Halacha

Each week I try to share some interesting or uncommon questions across a range of topics on various whatsapp groups, reddit threads, Facebook groups and the like.

If you have answers to any of these questions please feel free to leave a comment or reply to me on x.com/isaacson