Rabbi David Sedley

A repository of written, audio and video Torah classes given by Rabbi David Sedley

Blog Posts

  • Personalities in the Book of Ruth

    Unity as the connection between kindness and kingship The Book of Ruth traces an arc from Elimelech, a leader who ran away from his responsibilities, to David, who united the kingdom through his care and concern for his people. Naomi and Ruth are the pivotal people who cause that transition. This class looks at the…

  • Hillel and the Davidic Dynasty

    Is Yehuda Hanasi descended from the royal family? The rabbis tell us that Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi and Hillel were descended from King David. Their royal lineage earned them respect with the Roman government and the office of Nasi remained in the family of Hillel for over 400 years. But there are contradictions between the Babylonian…

  • Transmission of Torah

    Hillel and Bnei Beteira This is a lunch and learn I gave at Five Blocks. In it, I discuss why Bnei Beteira are not mentioned in the mishna, why they did not know the halacha that should have been a recurring event, why Hillel became the Nasi, and why his descendants were the leaders for…

  • Unetane Tokef

    Here is a recording of a shiur I gave on the Unetane Tokef prayer, recited by Ashkenazim on both Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. It is mainly about the provenance of the prayer, how the story is first recorded by the Or Zarua, who cites Rabbi Ephraim of Bonn, who reportedly said that Rabbi Kalonymous…

  • Today is the third of Adar. Yesterday was (unsurprisingly) the second of Adar. There is a very interesting historical connection between these two dates, which very few people notice. The second of Adar (598 BCE) was the date that the First Temple was conquered by Nebuchnazzaer, and King Jeconiah taken captive. This comes from Chronicles…

  • The impossibility of extinction

    According to many medieval Jewish sources no species of animal can ever become extinct. This was mainstream belief, held by (and shaping policy for) many of the world leaders up until the 19th century. In this class we discuss extinction, the reasons why it presents difficulty to theologians, and how damaging religious convictions can be…