At the end of Tosefta Eduyot 3:4 it states

One who has students, they call him rabbi. When his students were forgotten, they called him rabban. When both of these are forgotten, they call him by his name.

What does this mean? There are many examples of Rabbis with the appellation Raban (such as Gamliel, Shimon etc.) whose students were not forgotten. The same is true of those who are called by name such Hillel and Shammai

In short, please explain the end of Tosefta Eduyot

Hi, I'm looking for resource recommendations for the study of Avot. I'm in the middle of Amram Tropper's book. What other materials (books, commentaries, podcasts, video etc.) are worth checking out?

As you likely know if you're reading this sub, during the time of Chazal, there existed two para-rabbinic mystical schools called merkavah and hekhalot, with ma'aseh merkavah having a mention in Mishna Chagiga. The writings of these schools often claimed a legitimacy from great intellectuals such as Rabbi Akiva or Rabbi Ishmael, marking them on the side of "pro-intellectual" mysticism.

What you might not know is that there existed a third school called Sar Torah mysticism. This particular school of mysticism was anti-intellectual, preferring to receive Torah knowledge from an angel to receiving Torah knowledge from an oral tradition; Dr. Justin Sledge comments that this school could be seen as a response to the very intellectual process of the Mishna and Talmud.

In Bava Metzia 59b:5, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Yirmeya scold Rabbi Elizier for relying on the revalation of an angel rather than the majority opinion to back up his argument, citing Deuteronomy 30:12 ("[the Torah is] not in Heaven") and Exodus 23:2 ("after a majority to incline"), and reports that the prophet Elijah relayed that God had rejoiced at that moment.

First of all, we can see that the sugya itself still values prophetic/experiential mysticism, despite decrying its use in halakhic decisions as anti-Torah. The sugya also seems to be suggesting that not even Heaven itself should confirm the validity of a da'at yichud (singular opinion), despite Rabbinic Jews having a tradition of preserving such opinions in case they're the correct one.

But, and this isn't really a well-developed thought, just something that struck me in the dichotomy between the Sar Torah school and the Babylonian academies who completed the Talmud, the sugya (and the one before it) could be considered a polemic against the anti-intellectualism of the Sar Torah school, here represented by Rabbi Elizier.

I'm specifically talking about yevamot 35a

A quick googling earlier led me to discovering that Buddhism, Hinduism, and even Islam have used prayer beads in a fashion similar to the Catholic Rosary. So I ask, does Judaism using a similar device?

Since a post I read pretty much sums up the details of my question and is why I'm asking this, I'm quoting it.

I am curious of the Calvinist and Reformed Christianity on mortification of the flesh through painful physical torture such as fasting, self-flagellation, tatooing, cutting one's wrist, waterboarding oneself in blessed water, and carrying very heavy objects such as cross replication for miles with no rest or water? And other methods of self-harm so common among Catholic fundamentalists done to test their faith and give devotion to Jesus?

As someone baptised Roman Catholic, I know people who flagellate themselves and go through months have fasting with no food along with a day or two without drinking water. So I am wondering what is Judaism's position on corporal mortification acts especially like cutting yourself with a knife and fasting?

Anyone have recommendations for academic books or articles on the history of the development of Rabbinic Judaism?

Specifically, I'm looking for sources that don't take at face value the history given in traditional sources like the chain of traditions at the beginning of Pirkei Avot or Iggeret Rav Sherira Gaon.

For tikkun leil shavuot this year, I decided to study some "introductions", so I'm looking for any recommendations. So far I'm thinking:

• Ramban and Shadal's introductions to their peirushim on Torah

• Introduction to David Zvi Hoffmann's מלמד להועיל

If I'm feeling really brave, might try to start R. Halivni's introduction to מקורות ומסורות, but not sure I'll be able to handle that at 3am.

Thanks for any more suggestions!

Someone from /r/askbiblescholars/ recommended I bring my inquiry here. I'm sorry if this isn't the place for this sort of thing.

Do y'all have any audiobook recommendations for learning about how Jewish texts influenced Christianity? I know an audiobook may limit the recommendations, but that's how I tend to read these days. If you have a dynamite paper book recommendation, I can try to get through it.

Specifically, I want to learn more about the Mishnah, Midrash, etc. I keep reading references to these from prominent theologians (like, referencing stories with Elijah and the Messiah, for example), but I dont know how to get started learning about these, myself. I downloaded the Sefaria app, but there's a lot there and I don't know how to find what time looking for.

I'm a total newbie, so thank you for your grace with answering my perhaps ignorant question! I'm a Christian, and want to learn more about my own faith (I'm not sure if this sub is mostly for Jews), but I'm open-minded if you have something non-christian to recommend.

I have often heard that Ginzburg's "Legends of the Jews" is the definitive compilation of Aggadah. I was therefore very surprised to see that it ends with Esther given the wealth of Aggadot about figures in the AKH, Tannaic, and Ammoraic periods. Is there a reason for the omission of this material? Has there been a similar chronological collection for this material?

Thanks!

Here is a really good introduction to each of the books of Neviim and Kethuvim by a Hayyim Angel.

Check out the section "Rabbi Hayyim Angel's Survey of the Prophets and Writings in the Bible" here: https://www.jewishideas.org/online-learning/classes-lectures. These are recordings of a lecture series delivered by Rabbi Angel in English, with 1-3 lectures per book.

I think this is a good introduction to one type of Modern Orthodox Tanakh study methodology:

• Pshat-oriented, based on careful reding of the text
• Valuing classical commentaries, but open to differing views
• Informed by archeology, philology, and other disciplines

If anyone checks this out, I'd be curious to hear your reviews.

Ruth refers to herself as a shifcha and an amah, names for a gentile amd Jewish slave respectively. Most commentaries I have seen assume this is just an obsequious nicety. I am wondering if it is more than that.

Specifically could it be that Ruth is portraying herself as a slave (perhaps to Naomi) such that Boaz can purchase her when he acquires Naomi's ancestral field. Furthermore a child of that union, once freed would have the halakhic status of a full fledged Jew, without recourse to the legal machinations differentiating between male amd female Moabites.

Following this reasoning the requested act of spreading his cloak over Ruth would have halakhic implications as well.