Limmud Oz Melbourne 2025

For centuries, scholars viewed Talmudic stories as historical and biographical accounts of the sages' lives and deeds, forming the basis of rabbinic and Jewish history. Recently, however, researchers have adopted a literary approach, seeing these stories as closer to didactic fiction meant to teach morals and values rather than record events. This session will explore why scholars moved away from the biographical-historical perspective and the implications of this shift for our understanding of Talmudic history.