Rabbi Dr. Leonard Levy on the Rif

In this episode, we speak with Rabbi Dr. Leonard Levy, perhaps the world’s foremost expert on Rabbi Yitzhaq Alfasi, the Rif. In his writings, R. Levy presents findings crucial to understanding the development of halacha in the Middle Ages.

1:50 Background to R. Levy’s dissertation; a theory of halachic evolution

14:40 Rif’s model of deriving the halacha from the Talmud

23:37 Sugya and the Talmud as a code

34:14 Talmud study in the Babylonian yeshivot

39:55 Resolvingdisputes (divrei rivot bisha’arecha)

51:47 How the Geonim approached pesak halacha

106:50 The connection between Rif and Rambam

1:17:12 How the Rif set the agenda for the next thousand years

There is much more we would like to discuss with Rabbi Levy at a later date, but we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

Additional resources

R. Levy’s dissertation

The Decisive Shift - 2010 article by R. Levy, mentioned in the interview

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