Post-Biblical History
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The Ghetto
What is the origin of the term "Ghetto"? In 1516 a neighborhood of Venice near an iron foundry (Italian "ghetto") was enclosed by walls and declared to be the only part of the city where Jews were allowed to live.
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The Kuzari
What is the Kuzari? R. Yehudah Ha-Levi's Kuzari is a highly regarded work devoted to the justification of Judaism. It is presented as a dialog between a Rabbi and the king of the Khazars when he was considering whether to…
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The Sadducees
When did the Sadducees split off from mainstream Judaism? How did they get their name? According to Rabbinic tradition, the Sadducees split off from the Pharisees around 200 BCE. Their first leader may have been named Zadok, or they may…
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The Population of Jerusalem
What was the population of Jerusalem at the time of the destruction of the Temple? The population of Jerusalem in Second Temple times was about a million; this can be derived from the numbers of people killed or sold into…
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The Karaites
Who are the Karaites? They are a sect who don’t accept the authority of the Rabbis. There’s a good article on the Karaites in the Encyclopedia Judaica. They have existed continuously since their founding (around the eighth century) in Iraq.…
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Ben Stada
Who was Ben Stada? The Talmud (Shabbos 104b) mentions a person named Ben Stada, and says that he was also called Ben Pandira and that his mother’s name was Miriam. The suggestion has been made that this is a reference…
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Jewish Sources on Jesus
What do the Jewish sources tell us about Jesus? A person named Yeshu ha-Notzri (Jesus the Nazarene?) is mentioned several times in the Talmud, but the content of these references is not consistent with the story of Jesus as told…
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The Sadducees and Pharisees
What happened to the Sadducees and Pharisees? The Sadducees did not survive as a distinguishable group. The Pharisees were the ancestors of today’s Jews.
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Sefardic and Ashkenazic Customs
When and where do Sefardic and Ashkenazic customs come from? The differences are a natural result of the dispersion of the Jewish community. Sefarad is actually Hebrew for Spain — after the Spanish expulsion in the late 15th century, many…