Rabbinic Drinking

Though ancient rabbinic texts are fundamental to analyzing the history of Judaism, they are also daunting for the novice to read. Rabbinic literature presumes tremendous prior knowledge, and its fascinating twists and turns in logic can be disorienting. Rabbinic Drinking helps learners at every level navigate this brilliant but mystifying terrain by focusing on rabbinic conversations about beverages, such as beer and wine, water, and even breast milk. By studying the contents of a drinking vessel—including the contexts and practices in which they are imbibed—Rabbinic Drinking surveys key themes in rabbinic literature to introduce readers to the main contours of this extensive body of historical documents.

Features and Benefits:

• Contains a broad array of rabbinic passages, accompanied by didactic and rich explanations and contextual discussions, both literary and historical
• Thematic chapters are organized into sections that include significant and original translations of rabbinic texts
• Each chapter includes in-text references and concludes with a list of both referenced works and suggested additional readings

Jordan D. Rosenblum is Belzer Professor of Classical Judaism and Max and Frieda Weinstein-Bascom Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is the author of Food and Identity in Early Rabbinic Judaism and The Jewish Dietary Laws in the Ancient World and the coeditor of Feasting and Fasting: The History and Ethics of Jewish Food.