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Opening Talmud: Bava Metzi'a Chapter 4

By studying a famous story in its original context, we will experience the breathtaking twists and turns of the Talmud as it weaves together a discussion of Bible, law, ethics, and theology.

The famous story at the heart of our text is mentioned frequently in the contemporary Jewish world. This story, "The Oven of Achnai", found in the Talmud at Bava Metzi'a 59b, is used to make a number of different points about the nature of the Jewish legal system. We are going to explore the conversation in which this story is embedded, then look back to see how the story's use in contemporary discourse compares with its original function.

Our main goal is to experience the talmudic process, as a continuation of our ongoing exploration of the question, "What is Torah to the Jews?"

  • How do the characters in the Mishnah and the Talmud read the Bible? What do they understand it to be for, and how does it fit into their own project?
  • What are the different voices in the Talmud? How and why are they different?
  • What are the concerns of this text? Does it have anything to do with "religion" as we use the word?

One of the biblical phrases quoted in the story of the Oven of Achnai is "It is not heaven." (Deuteronomy 30:12) This has become an unofficial title for the story. In fact, it is the title of many books about Judaism, including one about Jewish secularism that was reviewed in the most recent issue of the Jewish Review of Books.

If you have not heard the story, you can choose to read it before we begin, though I recommend waiting to read it in context!

Here are a few of the many references to contemporary discussions of the Oven of Achnai / It is Not in Heaven that can be found on the internet, should you choose to read them now:

I am not the first person to take the context of the story into account. The following discussions take a broader view. You might want to read these after we work through the text from the inside.

Groups: