Palestinian Talmud Enthusiasts Convene

Last Thursday the "Yerushalmi Institute" presented an evening of lectures devoted to the redeeming of captives. I cannot claim to be a Yerushalmi enthusiast, since I think that the only Yerushalmi tractate I ever learned was Sheqalim. However, I am a wannabe.

The evening was quite interesting and I regret that I did not take notes.

The first speaker was Rabbi David Bar Chaim:

Rabbi Bar Chaim's remarks are more or less summarized here and here.

Next up was Professor Eliav Shochatman who mentioned a variety of sources dealing with the subject:

Moshe Feiglin also spoke, saying that we need to look to the written Torah in order to deal with problems related to running a Jewish State:

Rabbi Eliyahu Zini, the Rabbi of the Technion, was fascinating, showing the differences between the Bavli and the Yerushalmi when dealing with the same matters:

Last up was Rabbi Ratzon Arusi, who explained the issues from the eyes of a posek:

For me, this evening of "Torat Eretz Yisrael" was a breath of fresh air in the midst of the ongoing atmosphere of turmoil and incitement.