Exploring Jewish drinking wisdom
Intro An intriguing verse appears in the book of Psalms: “וְיַ֤יִן ׀ יְשַׂמַּ֬ח לְֽבַב־אֱנ֗וֹשׁ wine cheers the hearts of men” (Psalm 104:15), which is a felicitous Biblical expression, although how do the rabbis of the Babylonian Talmud use it? For the 73rd episode of The Jewish Drinking Show, Professor AJ Berkovitz joins the show to discuss […]
After having started with Podomatic for hosting The Jewish Drinking Show since its inception in September 2019, the show’s podcasting host is now at Buzzsprout. If you have any issues with your podcast catcher, please email me at Drew [at] JewishDrinking.com.
The Dead Sea Scrolls have been noticeably absent up until now for The Jewish Drinking Show. To remedy this situation, the 72nd episode of the show centers on a wine festival in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Featuring Professor Marvin Sweeney, this episode is on the wine festival in The Temple Scroll. Guest Bio Prof. Marvin A. […]
I am excited to share the June 2021 Schedule for The Jewish Drinking Show, which is as follows: June 1 – “The Wine Festival in the Dead Sea Scrolls” featuring Prof. Marvin Sweeney (episode #72) June 8 – “Psalm 104:15 in the Talmud” featuring Prof. AJ Berkovitz (episode #73) June 15 – “Pandemic and Pre-Pandemic […]
In this week’s Torah portion, we read of the Israelites complaining about the food available to eat (Num. 11:4-6): מִ֥י יַאֲכִלֵ֖נוּ בָּשָֽׂר זָכַ֙רְנוּ֙ אֶת־הַדָּגָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נֹאכַ֥ל בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם חִנָּ֑ם אֵ֣ת הַקִּשֻּׁאִ֗ים וְאֵת֙ הָֽאֲבַטִּחִ֔ים וְאֶת־הֶחָצִ֥יר וְאֶת־הַבְּצָלִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַשּׁוּמִֽים וְעַתָּ֛ה נַפְשֵׁ֥נוּ יְבֵשָׁ֖ה אֵ֣ין כֹּ֑ל בִּלְתִּ֖י אֶל־הַמָּ֥ן עֵינֵֽינוּ If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish that we […]
Intro A topic that has significantly affected the discourse concerning gentile wine in Judaism from antiquity and up through the present day is that of יין נסך – gentile libation wine. It receives significant treatment in early rabbinic literature, such as the Mishnah and Tosefta of Avodah Zarah. To discuss this issue for the 71st episode […]
Introduction & Avoidances In this week’s parashah of Nasso, we encounter the curious instance of the nazir (Num. 6:1-21). This person – man or woman (Num. 6:2) – decides to avoid hair-cutting (Num. 6:5) and contact with corpses (Num. 6:6-8). This person also vows away all drinking – whether wine or beer (Num. 6:3) – […]
While there are no new episodes of The Jewish Drinking Show this week (due to the Shavuos holiday), I am pleased to share that The Jewish Drinking Show still got mentioned on a podcast this week. The newest episode of The Bridging Connections Podcast features a discussion of the Jewish Drinking project, including The Jewish Drinking Show. The […]
When we encounter the reference to Nadav’s and Avihu in this week’s Torah portion, we see something that is quite consistent with the way that their deaths are described, which is due to them offering a strange fire: “וַיָּ֣מָת נָדָ֣ב וַאֲבִיה֣וּא לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֡ה בְּֽהַקְרִבָם֩ אֵ֨שׁ זָרָ֜ה לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָה֙ בְּמִדְבַּ֣ר סִינַ֔י וּבָנִ֖ים לֹא־הָי֣וּ לָהֶ֑ם And Nadav […]
Intro The 70th episode of The Jewish Drinking Show features Rabbi Michael Bernstein sharing some insights on Jewish and gentile wine from the writing of Maharal of Prague. Guest Bio Rabbi Michael Bernstein is, amongst other things, the rabbi for Gesher L’Torah in Georgia. Episode The episode is available in both audio and video formats […]
