In 1466, a young Jewish moneylender who grew up in Mantua but had spent three years in Bologna asked the duke for permission to return and lend again. The local Jewish community pulled strings to keep him out, treating him as an outsider who endangered everyone else’s livelihood. Rabbi Yosef Colon, the Maharik, ruled on the case, but others challenged his reasoning. The case brings us into the Talmudic discussions of unfair competition and the rights of newcomers. It also offers a close look at the economic realities of Jewish life in Renaissance Italy. ⁠Click here for the handout ⁠ An Immigration Dispute: Mantua, 1466

A dangerously ill person needs to eat chicken on Shabbos, and nonkosher is available. Do you feed him the nonkosher chicken, or slaughter one properly and violate Shabbos? The Raavad’s answer survives in conflicting versions, and the Ramban left a blank space when reaching this topic. We’ll discuss how that happened, then follow the debate across two centuries. We’ll find that in France and Germany, the rishonim gave a reason the Spanish rabbis dismissed. That gap likely reveals how differently these communities felt about their gentile neighbors and their place in those societies. Click here for the handout Nauseous or Not? Depends on Whether You’re in France or Spain

How and when did the bris take the shape we recognize today? When did the sandek and kvatter enter the ceremony, and what do those words even mean? Today’s class traces the development of the bris in Ashkenaz between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. We’ll explore the origins and context of its specialized terms, the deals people made to secure coveted honors, a controversial practice that the Maharam of Rothenburg protested for years without success, and the role women played in the ceremony. Along the way, we’ll examine a panel painted around 1300 that brings at least one version of the medieval bris into sharper focus. Click here for the handout What An Honor! The History and Evolution of the Sandek and Kvatter

On the fifteenth of Shevat, 1348, in the city of Tudela, a man named Yosef performed kidushin with a young woman named Belita. What began as a seemingly ordinary wedding ceremony quickly became a shocking controversy. People who were present asked Belita whether she was truly consenting, and instead of her confirming, it was her father who spoke on her behalf. Further investigation revealed that Belita had previously stated her refusal to this marriage not once but twice, and, in fact, was already married to her uncle Avraham. To complicate matters, she was also engaged to a third man! On the eve of the Black Death sweeping through Europe, this tangled web of relationships turned into a halachic dilemma that ultimately reached the desk of Rabbi Yehudah, son of the Rosh. The Scandalous Marriage, 1348

As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s sichos on Rashi, we will dive into how the Rebbe engaged with some of the earliest print editions and medieval manuscripts of Rashi’s commentary. These unique editions often reveal variant readings of Rashi’s words, each with its own story to tell. Through this journey, we’ll gain a deeper appreciation for Rashi’s foundational commentary—and the Rebbe’s unique approach to understanding it. Links to the relevant manuscripts and prints: Vatican Library, Urb. Ebr. 8 https://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS Urb.ebr.8 Vatican Library, Vat. Ebr. 47 https://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS Vat.ebr.47 Reggio de Calabria 1475 https://www.internetculturale.it/it/16/search/detail?id=oai%3Awww.internetculturale.sbn.it%2FTeca%3A20%3ANT0000%3APARE078580 Guadalajara 1476 https://www.hebrewbooks.org/21188 Rome, circa 1470 https://www.internetculturale.it/it/16/search/detail?instance=&case=&id=oai%3Awww.internetculturale.sbn.it%2FTeca%3A20%3ANT0000%3APARE078579 2&qt=   Berliner edition https://www.nli.org.il/en/books/NNL ALEPH990020823920205171/NLI   The Rebbe’s Rashi: Insights from Manuscripts and Incunabula Editions