How to be a Jew … and a pragmatist - Tablet Studios

What this episode covers

On the brink of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, Yohanan ben Zakkai made an astonishing decision. When faced with an opportunity to ask for anything from the new Roman emperor, Vespasian, rather than choosing to ask him to spare the Temple, Yochanan asked only for permission to start a school and preserve Jewish teachings in Yavneh, south of modern day Tel Aviv. Rabbi Marc Katz argues that this decision underscores how the Rabbis were the ultimate pragmatists in his new book Yochanan’s Gamble: Judaism’s Pragmatic Approach to Life. Is Katz right, and how should we consider pragmatism through a modern perspective?

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This episode is 36 minutes long.

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This episode was published on January 22, 2025.

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On the brink of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, Yohanan ben Zakkai made an astonishing decision. When faced with an opportunity to ask for anything from the new Roman emperor, Vespasian, rather than choosing to ask him to spare the...

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