Category: Beer

Women and Biblical Beer-Brewing

Professor Jennie Ebeling, professor of archaeology at the University of Evansville has not only written Women’s Lives in Biblical Times, published by T&T Clark in 2010, but also co-authored, along with Professor Michael Homan, “Baking and Brewing Beer in the Israelite Household: A Study of Women’s Cooking Technology” in The World of Women in the […]

How Beer Became Acceptable for Havdallah in the Babylonian Talmud

You can only use wine for Havdallah, right? That’s what the Talmudic rabbis thought…until a certain story happened. And then beer became legitimate to use for this ritual. Featuring Professor Jordan Rosenblum, the Belzer Professor of Classical Judaism, the Max and Frieda Weinstein-Bascom Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Chair of […]

Rav Papa, The Talmud Bavli’s Beer Baron

The newest podcast (& video) episode is now out on “Rav Papa, The Talmud Bavli’s Beer Baron”, featuring Professor Jordan Rosenblum, the Belzer Professor of Classical Judaism at University of Wisconsin, whose book is hitting bookshelves today. The new book, Rabbinic Drinking: What Beverages Teach Us About Rabbinic Literature, is intended to introduce readers to […]

Kosher Craft Beer in the Late 2010s

In the latter half of the 2010s, as craft beer grew greatly in the United States, various kashrut concerns came with that growth, as various adjunct ingredients were added to beers. With the rise in questions regarding kashrut of beers, Rabbi Avrahom Pressburger created KosherCraftBeer.com to help kosher-keeping consumers informed on which beers in the […]

Beer, Wine, and Bal Tashchit in the Talmud with Professor Tanhum Yoreh

The newest episode of Jewish Drinking: The Show is now out! With featured guest Professor Tanhum Yoreh, Rabbi Drew Kaplan discusses Rav Pappa’s statement in the Talmud that, if one could drink beer or wine, yet chooses wine transgresses the rabbinic prohibition against wastefulness (Shabbat 140b). Having written his doctoral dissertation on bal tashchit, Professor […]

Some Considerations of Storing Non-Wine Liquids in Containers That Had Previously Contained Gentile Wine [YD 137:4]

Rabbi Yosef Karo, in his Set Table, writes straightforwardly (שלחן ערוך יורה דעה קלז:ד): כלים האסורים מחמת יין של עובד כוכבים מותר ליתן לתוכם בין מים בין שכר בין שאר משקים ובלבד שידיח בתחלה לחלוחי היין שעל פני הכלים וכן מותר למלוח בהם It is permissible to place wine, beer, or other beverages in vessels that […]

Storing Beer in Jugs that Had Been Gentile-Owned [AZ 33b]

A huge concern for the rabbis was the consumption of gentile wine, as it could be used in libations, which was a problematic issue for the rabbis. In a discussion of using jugs that gentiles had previously owned (beginning on the bottom of AZ 33a (starting with תנו רבנן: קנקנים של עובדי כוכבים)), while the […]

The Amoraic Prohibition Against Gentile Beer? [AZ 31b]

A curious text emerges on Avodah Zarah 31b: אתמר מפני מה אסרו שכר של גוים רמי בר חמא אמר רבי יצחק משום חתנות רב נחמן אמר משום גילוי It was stated: On account of what did they forbid gentiles’ beer? Rami, son of Hama said from Rabbi Yizhak’s name: “On account of [inter]marriage.” Rav Nahman […]

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