Rabbi David Sedley

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

Blog Posts

  • 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…

  • Expecting the Messiah

    Here is an audio recording of one of the classed I gave a Limmud Scotland last month. I’ve entitled it “Expecting the Messiah” and it is about the dangers of predicting details of the Messiah’s arrival. Here is the source sheet:  

  • Parshat Bamidbar — Happy Birthday Al Capone

    One dark Chicago night in 1926, Fats Waller was leaving his regular gig at the Sherman Hotel when he was surrounded by four armed men. Waller was one of the most popular jazz musicians of his time, and one of the most prolific composers. But he had no idea what was about to happen. One…