Menachem Katz מנחם כץ

What we know about the surviving manuscripts, and how they contribute to Talmud study?

• From Oral to Hand-Written to Printed Editions
• The Surviving Manuscripts
• The Scope of the Manuscripts
• Variation in Manuscripts
• Dating the Manuscripts
• Geographic Origins of the Manuscripts
• The Singularity of Genizah Fragments
• From Handwritten Manuscript to Printed Edition
• The Origins of Divergences
• Of Scribal Errors and Corrections
• The Search for the Best Text
• A New Tool: The Hachi Garsinan Project

Talmudic manuscripts reveal the existence of a forgotten, fifth cup of wine at the Passover Seder.
1. The Text of the Baraita
2. “We Read Thus”
3. What Was the Original Reading?
4. Avoiding Even Numbers
5. The Fifth Cup Returns
http://thegemara.com/five-cups-of-wine-at-the-seder/#more-1924

A Talmudic reading of a Hassidic tale—and vice versa

• The Boy and the Flute
• Did the Boy Play a Flute?
• The Flute: The Chapter in m. Sukkah
• A Flute Playing at the Libation Ceremony vs. Alongside Sacrifices
• What was the Child Expressing with his Flute?
• Reading the Story and the Talmud in Light of Each Other

It is acceptable to see the Talmud as a work which rolls from sugia to sugia in an associative manner.  It is thus possible to understand the place of sugiot relating to Channuka in the Tractate Shabbat.  From the shabbat candles the Talmud moves onto Channuka candles, and from there to the other aspects of Channuka.  By using the title “Tractate Channuka”, we have expressed our opinion that it is not a random collection of sugiot that have been gathered together with no pattern, rather it is a separate Tractate that has its own internal logical structure that was placed inside Chapter 2 ("Bameh Madlikin") even though the mishna itself does not mention Channuka.

מפורסמת האגדה על אודות ל"ו צדיקים נסתרים שבזכותם העולם קיים. מקורה בדברי אביי בתלמוד בבלי. ברצוני להציע פירוש חדש לדברי אביי. לדעתי, אין אביי מדבר על מספר צדיקים שהעולם מתקיים בזכותם, אלא על מספר מינימלי של צדיקים המקבלים פני 'השכינה' בכל יום.

In "The Stories of Appointment Hillel as Nasi in the Talmudic Literature – A Formative Legend of the Jewish Scholar's World", Menachem Katz discusses the story of the appointment of Hillel as Nasi, as it appears in its three principal sources: the Tosefta, the Yerushalmi, and the Bavli. In this story, Hillel the Sage plays the role of the ideal leader of the sages and of the Jewish people. Thus, the heart of the story was a matter of great importance for the tanaim and amoraim of the Land of Israel and of Babylon, i.e.; the qualities of the ideal sage and leader.
While examining the different answers to this question, Katz describes the way the Sages perceived their own writings and the way their writings relate to the Torah.
It is not the actual historical facts that are of interest here, but rather the concepts of the narrator as they are expressed in the different versions of the story. Katz identifies this story as a formative legend. Through a story that deals with specific circumstances, we learn how the world of our sages evolved as a substitute for revelation and prophecy. The different versions of the story represent different concepts. Studying these concepts teaches us about the self-awareness and self-consciousness of the sages.
Katz also suggests that understanding the tools and methods that the sages used when merging diverse opinions and notions together into a single story is of great importance. The unique combination depicts a magnificent picture, which allows us a glimpse into the rabbis' spiritual world.

The story as it appears in its three principal sources:
• Tosefta Pesahim 4:13–14,
• Yerushalmi Pesahim 6:1. 33a,
• TB Pesahim 66a.

Once the fourteenth [day of Nisan] fell on the Sabbath, they asked Hillel the Elder, "Does the Passover [sacrifice] supersede the Sabbath?"...

Digital Jewish Studies – Poster Session
The Friedberg Variants Project:
Talmud Bavli,  Maimonides' Mishneh Torah , and the Generic Site
The 17th World Congress of Jewish Studies
on YouTube 35.20 – 42.40
מדעי היהדות דיגיטליים - מושב הפוסטרים
פרויקט פרידברג להשוואת נוסחאות:
הכי גרסינן (תלמוד בבלי) משנה תורה לרמב"ם ואתר גנרי
הקונגרס העולמי ה-17 למדעי היהדות, 7 אוגוסט 2017

ספר זה מגיש בפני הקורא מהדורה ביקורתית של מסכת קידושין. המהדורה כוללת את נוסח הירושלמי עם תיקונים, מחולק לסוגיות ומפוסק, בלוויית ביאור קצר, הפניה למקבילות בספרות חז"ל ולמובאות בספרות רבנית, והעתקה משווה (סינופסיס) על פי עדי הנוסח הישירים והמקבילות בירושלמי. מבנה המהדורה ועיצובה מבקשים בין היתר, להצביע על מאפייני התלמוד הירושלמי כיצירה עיונית וספרותית גם יחד. הצגת נוסח המסכת המדויק, עמידה על גלגוליו השונים במסירתו, והביאור הקצר הנלווה אליו, מספקים לקורא תשתית נוחה ללימוד מעמיק של המסכת.

The Sages differentiated among sources of Halacha, the Jewish judicial system, in as early as the Talmudic era. The Sages mentioned different categories to describe the various Halacha systems: "Laws of Moshe from Sinai" (Halacha Le'moshe Me'Sinai), "from the Torah" (Deorita), "from the Sages" (Derabanan), etc.
In this article, I discuss the term "Halacha Le'moshe Me'Sinai". I intend to introduce the different meanings it took on throughout history, and mainly, to describe the conflict that arose in relation to the use of this term. A great part of the Rabbis objected the very use of the expression "Halacha Le'moshe Me'Sinai". While this sometimes leads to unfavorable and deprecating perceptions of the term, others based their entire judicial and spiritual world on this principle, harshly attacking any attempt to degrade the importance of the concept of "Halacha Le'moshe Me'Sinai". As I present these various positions, I am analyzing the underlying reasoning of the Rabbis' opinions regarding the source of authority of the Jewish law system.
In my opinion, Rabbi Akiva adopted an approach that stated that every detail in the Halachic system holds its origin in the Holy Scriptures. According to this approach, the Midrash is what gives the Halacha its validity. Naturally, this approach does not acknowledge the concept of "Halacha Le'moshe Me'Sinai". As I am showing in this article, Rabbi Akiva’s view was opposed by other rabbinic figures. Rabbi Yishmael gently implied his disapproval of Rabbi Akiva's approach, while Ela'azar Ben Azarya expressed his discomfort of Rabbi Akiva’s ideas overtly and directly. These Sages believed that there are laws that do not evolve from the Holy Scriptures. Rabbi Akiva's perception of the Halacha was not accepted by the Sages in following generations as well, and instead, the idea of "Halacha Le'moshe Me'Sinai" was widely adopted.
In the modern era, after a great time in which this concept was approved by all, Zecharia Frankel pointed to the difficulties in this approach. Many opposed Frankels' ideas on the subject, and even questioned his religious beliefs. It seems no one has paid attention to the fact that we can find different approaches to the subject from the Tanaic period, and Frankel really is not stating an opinion which wasn't heard before by others.

International Conference on Hebrew Language, Literature and Culture, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Amsterdam June 25, 2018
סוגיה הלכתית או דרשה מוסרית? בתורתו של רבא, בתלמוד הבבלי, ניתן לראות את אחד השיאים של שילוב בין יצירה עיונית-אנליטית ובין יצירה אָמּנותית-ספרותית. במקביל חיבורו המונומנטלי של הרמב"ם, משנה תורה, אף הוא מהשיאים הבולטים ביותר ביצירה הספרותית של תורה שבעל פה לדורותיה.
מטרתי העיקרית בהרצאה הנוכחית היא להשוות בין ניסוח ההלכות בתלמודו של רבא לבין ניסוחן של אותן הלכות ביצירתו של הרמב"ם. באמצעות השוואה זו, שתתייחס לתוכן, לשון, מבנה וסגנון, אני  מבקש להראות את התרומה המיוחדת של כל אחד משני אישים אלו ביצירה של תורה שבעל פה, הן בתחום העיוני הן בתחום הספרותי-הרטורי.

א. הקדמה
ב. הסיפור בתוספתא
1. בין השאלה ההלכתית לבין מעשה חכמים  2. טיעוניו של הלל – מדרש ומסורת
3. החלק השני של הסיפור – סגולותיו של הלל  4. 'רוח הקודש עליהם'
ג. הסיפור שבירושלמי
1. שמועה, מסורת  2. שכחת ההלכה כתוצאה מפגם מוסרי  3. מתח: בבל – ארץ-ישראל
ד. בין הירושלמי לתוספתא
ה. הסיפור בבבלי וזיקתו לתוספתא ולירושלמי
1. "מנין לך?"  2. מודל השחזור בבלי – "אעפ"כ החזירן עתניאל בן קנז מתוך פלפולו"  3. אשרור
ו. בחזרה אל התוספתא
1. השלמה ומתח  2. הסיפור על הלל ופועלו של ר' עקיבא  3. הסיפור בתוספתא ופרשת פסח שני
ז. אגדת ייסוד של עולם החכמים
סיום

In this article we will analyze the Pesikta Rabbati midrash (midrash Tanhuma-Yelammedenu), which discusses the festival of Hanukkah. Our aim is to reach a better understanding of this midrash by examining its literary structure and arrangement.

עבר הווה ועתיד בחקר המשפט העברי
כנס לציון מאה שנים ליסוד חברת המשפט העברי, מוסקבה 1917

Мишпат иври: прошлое, настоящее и будущее
100-летие создания Общества “Мишпат Иври” в Москве

Mishpat Ivri: Past, Present and Future
100 Year Anniversary of the Establishment of the “Mishpat Ivri Society” in Moscow

Jewish Law Association 20th International Conference
Moscow State University Law School, Moscow
July 23–26, 2018

Tuesday, July 24, 9:00–11:00
2. Characteristics of Legal Thinking in Jewish Law

Dr. Menachem Katz: Categorizing Types of Theft in Jewish Law and their Moral and Legal Significance

XIth Congress of the European Association for Jewish Studies EAJS
Kraków 15-19 July 2018
7.07 The Making of Manuscripts and Codicology
Monday, 16 July, 17:00-18:30
Pedagogical University of Cracow, Ingardena 4, room 416

Menachem Katz - Opening Felicitations by Scribes in Talmudic literature: The Beginnings, Development and Diversity of the Phenomenon

מהי סוגייה מקבילה? בחינה מתודולוגית של מחקר סוגיות מקבילות בבבלי ובירושלמי
What is a parallel Sugya? A methodological examination of research on parallel passages in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmud
המרכיבים המשותפים:
• רכיבים טקסטואליים (מקורות)
• רכיבים לוגיים
• יסודות קומפוזיציוניים
• יסודות סגנוניים

"My Mainstay on the Road to God" - Isaac Breuer's Method of Teaching and Learning Talmud
Isaac Breuer was not a Talmudist in the classical sense.  On the other hand, as the quote in the title from Breuer's 1928 treatise Elisha shows, Talmud study was a pillar of his life work. In his life-long weekly Talmud lecture he was influenced by the style of learning of his father Rabbi Solomon Breuer, a close student of the Ksav Sofer at the Pressburg Yeshiva, which emphasized the broad mastery and formal command of Talmudic texts.  In this paper we shall seek to define the particular approach to learning the Talmud that was so important to Breuer. We shall also explore instances where he draws on the Talmud in his wider philosophy and his vision of a Torah State in the Jewish Homeland.

The Friedberg Genizah Project: What we've achieved so far and future objectives
Past and Present
Before the implementation of the Friedberg Project, examining Genizah fragments entailed a trip to one of the libraries that a collections of fragments, or viewing microfilm images at the National Library in Jerusalem. The cataloging of the collections was problematic and deficient.
The Friedberg project created the first-ever comprehensive list of all Cairo Genizah fragments held in libraries around the world. Under its sponsorship hundreds of thousands of high-definition images of fragments have been uploaded to the website. Many Genizah catalogs have been added to the site, and we have improved and updated the cataloging system to assist the identification of further fragments. These features have turned the website into an unparalleled research base.
We have developed tools enabling the user to connect fragments, including a "puzzle function", search tools to find similar fragments and an experimental visual recognition tool (Wordspotting). Users are also able to submit their own findings to the website.
A unique tool for "multi fragment images" allows tiny fragments to be separated and reattached to a larger image of this type.
Future
Looking to the future, we hope to identify more joins between Genizah fragments, large and small.
We are working on improving search algorithms and visual searches. There are many further automated functions that we would like to add to the site.
We aim to integrate the Genizah site with other Friedberg projects such as the Judeo-Arabic corpus, the Judeo-Arabic bibliography, and of course the new Rambam project.
We aim to strengthen and enhance cooperation with other research centers and individual researchers.
We hope to apply the infrastructure of the Genizah website to the entire "European Genizah", all rediscovered fragments from Jewish manuscripts in Europe, as we are in the process of doing for recycled Talmud fragments on the Friedberg "Hachi Garsinan" site.

“Yerushalmi Morsels – After the Pages on ‘Hayerushalmi Kiphshuto,’”
an evening seminar upon the publication of the third edition of Hayerushalmi Kiphshuto, with addenda and corrigenda,
Shocken Institute for Jewish Studies, Jerusalem, 29 May 2008.

פירורים ירושלמיים – בעקבות הגיליונות ל'ירושלמי כפשוטו', ערב עיון להופעת הספר "הירושלמי כפשוטו" מהדורה שלישית, כולל הוספות ותיקונים
מכון שוקן למדעי היהדות, ירושלים, כ"ד אייר תשס"ח, 29 במאי 2008.