Pshats For Shots Parashah Sheet Up For Lekh Lekha
The new parashah sheet for Lekh Lekha is now available! Previous parashah sheets are available here.
Malkitzedek’s Bringing of Wine & Bread to Avram
Following Avram’s involvement in the war between the four kings vs the five kings, when Avram rescued Lot (Gen. 14:14-16), we read of the king of S’dom coming out to meet Avram (Gen. 14:17). However, before the king of S’dom speaks with Avram (Gen. 14:21-24), there is a brief narrative interruption where Malkitzedek, the king […]
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 […]
Pshats For Shots Parashah Sheet Up For Noah
Having started a new project of producing weekly parashah sheets last week, this week’s parashah sheet on Parashat Noah is now available!
What Did Noah Begin Doing with a Vineyard Upon Disembarking From the Ark?
In the course of the first story of drinking in the entirety of the Bible, we see Noah disembarking from the ark and doing something with regard to a vineyard: 讜址讬旨指芝讞侄诇 谞止謻讞址 讗执郑讬砖讈 讛纸指讗植讚指诪指謶讛 讜址讬旨执讟旨址謻注 讻旨指纸专侄诐 Noah, man of the soil, [something] to plant a vineyard. It’s unclear how to translate the word 讜讬讞诇 here, […]
Exploring Noah’s Getting Drunk: What Did Ham Do To Noah?
In the very first instance of drinking wine in the Bible (Gen. 9), we read of Noah drinking, getting drunk, and then his son, Ham, doing something to him. What did Ham do to Noah? In this episode of聽Jewish Drinking: The Show, I (Rabbi Drew Kaplan) discuss this Noah-Ham incident with Professor John Bergsma, a […]
Pshats for Shots Parashah Sheet up for Genesis
A new project I’m launching is Pshats for Shots, a weekly one-page pdf with a brief d’var Torah, which is great for kiddush clubs, Shabbas meals, and other gatherings. Here’s the first sheet: Pshats for Shots – Genesis 5780
Were Grapes the Fruit that Adam and Eve Ate?
Although I know you’re probably thinking “What does the fruit that Adam and Eve ate have to do with drinking?” And that’s a great question! Wine/Grapevine? It turns out there is a rabbinic text that associates wine with this fruit (bBerakhot 40a & bSanhedrin 70a-b): 转谞讬讗 专讘讬 诪讗讬专 讗讜诪专 讗讜转讜 讗讬诇谉 砖讗讻诇 讗讚诐 讛专讗砖讜谉 诪诪谞讜 […]
A Jewish Biblical Drinking Game?
The fourth weekly installment of聽Jewish Drinking: The Show features Rabbi Daniel Epstein, who discusses his Jewish Biblical drinking game. Called Weird Tanakh Facts, Rabbi Epstein’s game which is currently in beta version, seeks to sharpen players’ knowledge of Biblical verses. The podcast version of the discussion is here: The video version of the discussion is […]
Drinking in the Book of Ecclesiastes: A Conversation with Rabbi Daniel Epstein
With the Shabbat of Sukkot coming up this weekend when the book of Ecclesiastes (住驻专 拽讛诇转) is traditionally read, I invited Rabbi Daniel Epstein for a conversation on drinking in the book of Ecclesiastes for the newest video and podcast episode for JewishDrinking: Podcast Episode: Video: