Mishnah
Drew Kaplan

Finding One’s Mate in a Vineyard: Tu b’Av & Yom Kippur๐Ÿ‡

Event Mezcal News Tequila
Drew Kaplan

First-of-its-Kind Kosher Agave Festival to Feature Kosher-Certified Tequilas and Mezcals

News Whiskey
Drew Kaplan

First Collaborative Whiskey Project Between Distilleries in the US and Israel Announced

Featured News
Drew Kaplan

Finding One’s Mate in a Vineyard: Tu b’Av & Yom Kippur๐Ÿ‡

Drew Kaplan

First-of-its-Kind Kosher Agave Festival to Feature Kosher-Certified Tequilas and Mezcals

Drew Kaplan

First Collaborative Whiskey Project Between Distilleries in the US and Israel Announced

Drew Kaplan

Inaugural Kosher Spirits Awards Celebrates Successful Debut

Drew Kaplan

Kosher Spirits Awards 2026 Medalists

Tosefta
Rabbi Drew

Initial Considerations on the ืžืกื•ื‘ื™ืŸ Incidents in the Tosefta

There is a curious story in the Passover Haggadah that I wanted to explore: ืžึทืขึฒืฉึถื‚ื” ื‘ึฐึผืจึทื‘ึดึผื™ ืึฑืœึดื™ืขึถื–ึถืจ ื•ึฐืจึทื‘ึดึผื™ ื™ึฐื”ื•ึนืฉึปืืขึท ื•ึฐืจึทื‘ึดึผื™ ืึถืœึฐืขึธื–ึธืจ ื‘ึถึผืŸึพืขึฒื–ึทืจึฐื™ึธื” ื•ึฐืจึทื‘ึดึผื™ ืขึฒืงึดื™ื‘ึธื ื•ึฐืจึทื‘ึดึผื™ ื˜ึทืจึฐืคื•ึนืŸ ืฉึถืื”ึธื™ื•ึผ ืžึฐืกึปื‘ึดึผื™ืŸ ื‘ึดึผื‘ึฐื ึตื™ึพื‘ึฐืจึทืง ื•ึฐื”ึธื™ื•ึผ ืžึฐืกึทืคึฐึผืจึดื™ื ื‘ึดึผื™ืฆึดื™ืึทืช ืžึดืฆึฐืจึทื™ึดื ื›ึธึผืœึพืื•ึนืชื•ึน ื”ึทืœึทึผื™ึฐืœึธื”, ืขึทื“ ืฉึถืื‘ึธึผืื•ึผ ืชึทืœึฐืžึดื™ื“ึตื™ื”ึถื ื•ึฐืึธืžึฐืจื•ึผ ืœึธื”ึถื ืจึทื‘ึผื•ึนืชึตื™ื ื•ึผ ื”ึดื’ึดึผื™ืขึท ื–ึฐืžึทืŸ ืงึฐืจึดื™ืึทืช ืฉึฐืืžึทืข ืฉึถืืœ ืฉึทืื—ึฒืจึดื™ืช The incident of Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, Rabbi […]

Drinking Esther Purim
Rabbi Drew

An Initial Consideration of the Drinking Events in Megillat Esther

Over this recent Purim, I was curious to keep track of the drinking parties, since I knew there were multiple such events, but hadnโ€™t quite remembered what each of them were. While tracking them, though, I was fascinated to not only have a sense of what they were, but maybe also somewhat of a pattern. […]

Drinking Rabbinic Literature Talmud Bavli Talmud Yerushalmi Tosefta Wine
Rabbi Drew

Drinking & Praying? How Do the Rabbis Approach Drunken Prayer?

With Purim upon us this week and the attendant drinking that occurs, it’s fitting to wonder about the appropriateness of praying while intoxicated (or its inappropriateness). So: what do the Talmudic rabbis have to say about it? Tannaitic Exemption One clear tannaitic text that discusses this issue finds that one should not pray while drunk […]

Talmud Bavli
Rabbi Drew

“ื•ื”ืฉืชื™ื” ื›ื“ืช”: Considering Rabbi Meir’s Reading [Megillah 12a]

Recently, someone pointed out to me a curious drinking text related to Purim (Megillah 12a): ื•ื”ืฉืชื™ื” ื›ื“ืช – ืžืื™ ื›ื“ืช ืืžืจ ืจื‘ื™ ื™ื•ื—ื ืŸ ืžืฉื•ื ืจื‘ื™ ืžืื™ืจ ื›ื“ืช ืฉืœ ืชื•ืจื” ืžื” ื“ืช ืฉืœ ืชื•ืจื” ืื›ื™ืœื” ืžืจื•ื‘ื” ืžืฉืชื™ื” ืืฃ ืกืขื•ื“ืชื• ืฉืœ ืื•ืชื• ืจืฉืข ืื›ื™ืœื” ืžืจื•ื‘ื” ืžืฉืชื™ื” “And the drinking was according to law” (Esther 1.8) – What […]

Talmud Bavli
Rabbi Drew

Abba Shaul’s Bone Forensics Concerning Wine [Niddah 24b]

A rather curious text occurs featuring Abba Shaul discussing his experiences as someone who buried corpses (Niddah 24b): ืชื ื™ื ืื‘ื ืฉืื•ืœ ืื•ืžืจ ืงื•ื‘ืจ ืžืชื™ื ื”ื™ื™ืชื™ ื•ื”ื™ื™ืชื™ ืžืกืชื›ืœ ื‘ืขืฆืžื•ืช ืฉืœ ืžืชื™ื ื”ืฉื•ืชื” ื™ื™ืŸ ื—ื™ ืขืฆืžื•ืชื™ื• ืฉืจื•ืคื™ืŸ ืžื–ื•ื’ ืขืฆืžื•ืชื™ื• ืกื›ื•ื™ื™ืŸ ื›ืจืื•ื™ ืขืฆืžื•ืชื™ื• ืžืฉื•ื—ื™ืŸ ื•ื›ืœ ืžื™ ืฉืฉืชื™ื™ืชื• ืžืจื•ื‘ื” ืžืื›ื™ืœืชื• ืขืฆืžื•ืชื™ื• ืฉืจื•ืคื™ืŸ ืื›ื™ืœืชื• ืžืจื•ื‘ื” ืžืฉืชื™ื™ืชื• ืขืฆืžื•ืชื™ื• ืกื›ื•ื™ื™ืŸ ื›ืจืื•ื™ ืขืฆืžื•ืชื™ื• […]

Purim Rabbinic Literature Talmud Bavli
Rabbi Drew

Drinking on Purim [Megillah 7b]

An updated and expanded version of this essay may be found as “Ravaโ€™s Innovative Obligating of Getting Drunk on Purim” Introduction One of the more familiar aspects of Purim practices is getting drunk, with Purim being one of the most drinking-heavy days on the Jewish calendar. While neither the Mishnah nor Tosefta mentions any such […]

Beer Kashrut Rabbinic Literature Talmud Bavli
Rabbi Drew

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 ืชื ื• ืจื‘ื ืŸ: ืงื ืงื ื™ื ืฉืœ ืขื•ื‘ื“ื™ ื›ื•ื›ื‘ื™ื)), while the […]

Beer Kashrut Rabbinic Literature Talmud Bavli
Rabbi Drew

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

A curious text emerges on Avodah Zarah 31b: ืืชืžืจ ืžืคื ื™ ืžื” ืืกืจื• ืฉื›ืจ ืฉืœ ื’ื•ื™ื ืจืžื™ ื‘ืจ ื—ืžื ืืžืจ ืจื‘ื™ ื™ืฆื—ืง ืžืฉื•ื ื—ืชื ื•ืช ืจื‘ ื ื—ืžืŸ ืืžืจ ืžืฉื•ื ื’ื™ืœื•ื™ 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 […]

Kashrut Post-Talmudic Halakhic Literature Shulhan Arukh
Rabbi Drew

The Beginnings of the Post-Shulhan Arukh Debate Over the Ratio of Nullifying Libated Wine [YD 134:5]

A fascinating wine-related dispute breaks out over Rabbi Yosef Karoโ€™s (1488-1575) statement (ืฉื•”ืข ื™ื•”ื“ ืงืœ”ื“:ื”): ืžื” ื™ื”ื ื‘ืžื™ื ื•ื™ื”ื ื‘ื”ื ื›ื“ื™ ืœื‘ื˜ืœ ื˜ืขื ื”ื™ื™ืŸ ืฉืฉื” ื—ืœืงื™ื ื›ื ื’ื“ื• ื•ื›ืœ ืฉื™ืฉ ื‘ืžื™ื ื›ืฉื™ืขื•ืจ ื”ื–ื” ืžื•ืชืจ ืืคื™ืœื• ื‘ืฉืชื™ื™ื” How much of a ratio is there with water to cancel out the taste of [libated] wine? Six parts [of […]

Post-Talmudic Halakhic Literature Shulhan Arukh
Rabbi Drew

Considering the Nullification of Wine: An Experiment [YD 134:5]

I recently came across a rather curious text in the Shulhanย Arukh (YD 134:5): ืžื” ื™ื”ื ื‘ืžื™ื ื•ื™ื”ื ื‘ื”ื ื›ื“ื™ ืœื‘ื˜ืœ ื˜ืขื ื”ื™ื™ืŸ ืฉืฉื” ื—ืœืงื™ื ื›ื ื’ื“ื• ื•ื›ืœ ืฉื™ืฉ ื‘ืžื™ื ื›ืฉื™ืขื•ืจ ื”ื–ื” ืžื•ืชืจ ืืคื™ืœื• ื‘ืฉืชื™ื™ื” How much of a ratio of water cancels out the taste of wine? Six parts [of water] to one [part of wine]. […]

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