Iran is Closer Than You Think: The ‘Iranian’ Talmud

As its very name indicates, the Talmud Bavli was produced in Babylonia in the centuries following the compilation of the Mishnah. But politically and culturally speaking, Talmudic Babylonia was actually at the center of a powerful IranianEmpire. What happens when we approach the Talmud as a product of Iran – for our learning, and for our self-understanding?

ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Shai Secunda is the Jacob Neusner Associate Professor of Judaism at Bard College, where he teaches in the Department of Religion. He earned his PhD at Yeshiva University, and then held posts at Yale and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research focuses on classical Judaism and its interactions with other traditions and on the Talmud’s Iranian context. His book, The Iranian Talmud, has recently been released in paperback. Dr. Secunda writes regularly on Jewish scholarship and popular culture for the Jewish Review of Books.

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