Midrash About Food and Drink
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 […]
Gentile Libation Wine (יין נסך) in the Mishnah and Tosefta
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 […]
The Nazir’s Vow and Remedy
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) – […]
Appearance on The Bridging Connections Podcast
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 […]
Nadav & Avihu Offering a Strange Fire
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 […]
Maharal of Prague on Jewish & Gentile Wine
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 […]
Drinking and Drashing
While here at JewishDrinking.com, it is easy to feel pride in The Jewish Drinking Show as a unique podcast, but it’s not the only podcast out there on drinking and Judaism. As such, for the newest episode of The Jewish Drinking Show, we welcome Gabe Snyder and Amanda Weiss of Drinking and Drashing: Torah with […]
Wine at Bris Milah
What’s the deal with wine at a bris milah ceremony? While wine comes up at many Jewish lifecycle events, what is it specifically about wine at bris milah ceremonies and how does it work? Certified mohel Rabbi Hayim Leiter joins the show to discuss wine during the bris milah ceremony. Guest Bio Rabbi Hayim Leiter […]
Yeshiva High School Students Binge-Drinking [Episode #67 of The Jewish Drinking Show]
Introduction How much is binge-drinking a practice undertaken by yeshiva high school students in the US? Surprisingly, more than we would have thought. In a JTA op-ed that Dr. Rivka Press-Schwartz and Rabbi Tully Harcsztark published in late February 2021, they shared their findings from a survey carried out under the auspices of Machon Siach at […]
Maimonides on Kiddush and Havdallah
In the 66th episode of The Jewish Drinking Show, Rabbi Dan Margulies joins Rabbi Drew Kaplan in a discussion on Maimonides’ views on Kiddush and Havdallah for Shabbat. Guest Bio Rabbi Dan Margulies is currently on the high school Judaics faculty of the Berman Hebrew Academy. He was formerly rabbi of The Riverdale Minyan, formerly […]