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 Resolving disputes (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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