Shows
The Podcast of Jewish Ideas85. Halakhic Codes & Responsa | Dr. Chaim SaimanJ.J. and Dr. Chaim Saiman compare the two dominant modes of Jewish legal transmission, and put them in conversation with global legal traditions. If you or your business are interested in sponsoring an episode or mini-series, please reach out at podcasts@torahinmotion.org Follow us on Bluesky @jewishideaspod.bsky.social for updates and insights!Please rate and review the the show in the podcast app of your choice.We welcome all complaints and compliments at podcasts@torahinmotion.org For more information visit torahinmotion.org/podcastsChaim Saiman is a...
2026-01-291h 10
18Forty PodcastRachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin: How Torah Gives Us Faith and HopeThis episode is brought to you by Simchat Torah Challenge, a Jewish communal project inspiring tens of thousands of Jews of all backgrounds to read the weekly parsha. The weekly English-language email newsletter and website bring Torah and insights from trusted sources. Join for free at SimchatTorahChallenge.orgIn this special Simchas Torah episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we speak with Rachel Goldberg-Polin and Jon Polin—parents of murdered hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Hashem yikkom damo—about their relationship to Torah. For two years, we’ve been struggling with the paradox of how Simchas Torah has beco...
2025-10-121h 09
מאיר עיני חכמים-Shmoozing with Rav SchillerRerum Novarum Redux?-What the Jewish Community might expect from the Papacy of Leo XIV-with Doctor Ethan Schwartz, Professor Chaim Saimanhttps://thechesedfund.com/yeshivaofnewarkpodcast/keeping-the-ark-afloat
This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate
2025-06-3044 min
On PrincipleRerum Novarum Redux?-What the Jewish Community might expect from the Papacy of Leo XIV-with Doctor Ethan Schwartz, Professor Chaim Saiman and Rav Mayer SchillerPlease click on this link to contribute whatever you can to keep this podcast on the air:
https://thechesedfund.com/yeshivaofnewarkpodcast/keeping-the-ark-afloat
This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate
2025-06-2944 min
Yeshiva of Newark PodcastOn Principle-112-Rerum Novarum Redux?-What the Jewish Community might expect from the Papacy of Leo XIV-with Doctor Ethan Schwartz, Professor Chaim Saiman and Rav Mayer SchillerPlease click on this link to contribute whatever you can to keep this podcast on the air:
https://thechesedfund.com/yeshivaofnewarkpodcast/keeping-the-ark-afloat
This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate
2025-06-2944 min
The Fifth QuestionThe Theory Behind Jewish Law w/ Prof. Chaim SaimanI speak with Villanova Law Professor Chaim Saiman about his book Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law. We explore how halakhah functions not just as a legal code but as a mode of religious and intellectual engagement. From Talmudic argumentation to modern legal theory, Saiman unpacks what makes Jewish law unique.#JewishLaw #Halakhah #ChaimSaiman #JewishStudies #LegalPhilosophy #RabbinicLaw #Talmud #Judaism #ReligionAndLaw #PodcastInterviewFacebook: / daniel.levine.31 Instagram: / rabbidaniellevine #Zionism #hillel #Judaism
2025-05-0456 min
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western MindThe Talmud: Jewish Law and LifeThe codifying of the Talmud marked a major turning point for Jewish life and law. As we dive into the topic, we'll explore the following questions: What exactly is the Talmud? How is the Talmud structured? Is the structure itself important to the content? What drove Jewish passion for and attachment to the Talmud over the centuries? Recommended Reading: Saiman, Chaim. Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2018.
2025-04-0348 min
Matan: One on One Parsha PodcastEpisode 204 - Parshat Mishpatim: Halakhic Applications, Then and NowIn this fascinating conversation with Professor Chaim Saiman, we explore foundational understandings of how the rabbinic system of law developed and is enforced. The conversation then turns to the judiciary role of American rabbinical courts today and how this compares and contrasts with trends in Israel.
Check out Prof. Saiman's Book Halakha here: https://www.amazon.com/Halakhah-Rabbinic-Library-Jewish-Ideas/dp/069115211X
The series asks what axiomatic ideas sit at the root of Israel’s national formation, without which we wouldn’t be who we are? How might we adjust our current trends in the Jewish world to realign with these principles?
To d...
2025-02-161h 04
Orthodox Conundrum'Tis the Season to Spend Lavishly: Confronting the New Orthodox Materialism, with Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt and Professor Chaim Saiman (229)"Anything is permitted, as long as it's for a mitzvah." Really? We live in a world where consumerism and materialism are not only dominant themes of everyday life, but also positive values in their own right. It's disturbing that the Orthodox Jewish community is not at all immune to this influence; in fact, many sub-communities within the Orthodox world revel in materialism to the point that any argument that an overemphasis on materialism is not in line with Torah values would likely be met with stares of incomprehension. My guests today, Professor Chaim S...
2024-12-021h 21
The Tikvah PodcastChaim Saiman on the Roots and Basis of Jewish Law (Rebroadcast)Jewish communities have just concluded the celebration of Shavuot, a pilgrimage festival in times of the Temple and the moment when, fifty days after the Jewish people's exodus from Egypt, God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses. Those commandments form the foundation of the many rules and obligations inflected throughout the Jewish tradition. Indeed, after thousands of years of Jewish history, observant Jewish lives continue to be structured by what is known as halakhah, Jewish law. What is halakhah? In 2018, the rabbi Mark Gottlieb sat down to answer that question with Chaim Saiman, one of the world's f...
2024-06-1447 min
Tzarich Iyun — A Podcast from Yeshivat OraytaGemara, Halakha & Chazal's Unique Conception of Law with Professor Chaim Saiman [Gemara, Part 2]What is halakha? Is it just a system of law or also a legal medium to discuss some of Judaism's most weighty religious questions? In this episode, Rav David Silverstein is joined by Professor Chaim Saiman to discuss these issues through the prism of Professor Saiman's important book, Halakha: The Rabbinic Idea of Law.Professor Chaim Saiman is Professor of Law at Villanova Law School, and has served as Gruss Visiting Professor of Talmudic Law at both Harvard Law School and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, a visiting fellow at Princeton University and...
2023-09-101h 04
On PrincipleDispute Depot -Streamlining and Popularizing the Beis Din Option -with Professor Chaim Saiman
This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate
2023-08-1048 min
Yeshiva of Newark PodcastOn Principle-Episode 87- Dispute Depot -Streamlining and Popularizing the Beis Din Option -with Professor Chaim Saiman
This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate
2023-08-1048 min
The Franciska ShowHow Halachik Innovation Works - with Chaim SaimanJoin the WA Group with this temporary link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LcHQQDGFxvA7y8EALUkaLU Volunteer to share your personal story on the Franciska Show - email: franciskakay@gmail.com About Our Guest: Chaim Saiman is a scholar of Jewish law, insurance law and private law and Chair in Jewish law Villanova University's Law School. He is also a fellow at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at U. Penn. Chaim has been the Gruss Visiting Professor of Talmudic Law at both Harvard Law School and the U...
2022-11-0146 minThe Franciska ShowHow Halachik Innovation Works - with Chaim SaimanJoin the WA Group with this temporary link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LcHQQDGFxvA7y8EALUkaLU Volunteer to share your personal story on the Franciska Show - email: franciskakay@gmail.com About Our Guest: Chaim Saiman is a scholar of Jewish law, insurance law and private law and Chair in Jewish law Villanova University's Law School. He is also a fellow at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at U. Penn. Chaim has been the Gruss Visiting Professor of Talmudic Law at both Harvard Law School and the U...
2022-11-0146 minThe Franciska ShowHow Halachik Innovation Works - with Chaim SaimanJoin the WA Group with this temporary link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LcHQQDGFxvA7y8EALUkaLU Volunteer to share your personal story on the Franciska Show - email: franciskakay@gmail.com About Our Guest: Chaim Saiman is a scholar of Jewish law, insurance law and private law and Chair in Jewish law Villanova University's Law School. He is also a fellow at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at U. Penn. Chaim has been the Gruss Visiting Professor of Talmudic Law at both Harvard Law School and the U...
2022-11-0146 min
18Forty PodcastAnonymous: Searching for the Beginning [Origins of Judaism 1/6]In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to an anonymous email sender about life upon the bridge between the truth of fact and the truth of feeling.Our anonymous guest sent an email in to 18Forty, which we read previously on the Malka Simkovich episode. In his email, he describes struggling with the Oral Torah and clinging to his faith despite the unknown. - How has practical Jewish religious observance evolved since the canonization of the Oral Torah? - Are the struggles of modern day Jews the same struggles Jews faced in...
2022-11-011h 45
Yeshiva of Newark PodcastOn Principle-Episode 70-Beyond the Quickening- A Halachic Legal Scholar breaks down the issues on overturning Roe V. Wade -Professor Chaim Saiman holds forth
This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate
2022-06-0957 min
On PrincipleBeyond the Quickening- A Halachic Legal Scholar breaks down the issues on overturning Roe V. Wade -Professor Chaim Saiman holds forth
This podcast has been graciously sponsored by JewishPodcasts.fm. There is much overhead to maintain this service so please help us continue our goal of helping Jewish lecturers become podcasters and support us with a donation: https://thechesedfund.com/jewishpodcasts/donate
2022-06-0957 min
Down The Rabbi HoleBonus Episode with More Discussion of Yom Haatzma'ut Practices with Prof. Chaim SaimanThere was an entire section of our conversation that I forgot to publish. This was supposed to be part of the first episode with Prof. Saiman. I've added the recordings to that episode and also posted it as a "standalone" episode for people who already listened.
2022-06-0311 min
Down The Rabbi HoleShlissel Challah, Reb Shayale, and the universalization of niche observancesIn this episode we discuss observances - specifically pilgrimages to the grave of Reb Shayale of Kerestir and other kivrei tzadikim in far-flung places, as well as schlissel challah, which are observed during this time of year - and consider the factors that may drive the significant surge in their popularity.
I am joined once again by Prof. Chaim Saiman, author of Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law, a professor at the Charles Widger School of Law at Villanova University, and a close friend of almost 30 years.
2022-06-0222 min
Down The Rabbi HoleThe reception of Yom Ha'atzma'ut 'Halakhah'; the value of halfhearted observance; considering how customs develop - with Prof. Chaim SaimanIn this episode, we look at the development of customs, nusach, and perhaps Halakhah more generally by looking at Yom Ha'atzma'ut observances, which are changing in real time. Includes a fascinating observation about a particular milestone in reception history of observances.
I am joined by Prof. Chaim Saiman, author of Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law, a professor at the Charles Widger School of Law at Villanova University, and a close friend of almost 30 years (!).
2022-06-0227 min
Borderline JurisprudenceEpisode 9: Harlan Cohen on Sources of International LawProf. Harlan G. Cohen (University of Georgia) joins us to talk about sources of international law, precedent, opinio juris, fragmentation, pluralism and behavioural approaches to international law.Publications referred to in the episode:Harlan G. Cohen, “The Primitive Lawyer Speaks!: Thoughts on the Concepts of International and Rabbinic Laws”, Villanova Law Review 64, no. 5 (2020): 665–678.Emanuel Adler, Communitarian International Relations: The epistemic foundations of International Relations (London: Routledge, 2005).Harlan G. Cohen, “Finding International Law: Rethinking the Doctrine of Sources”, Iowa Law Review 93, no. 1 (2007): 65–129.Harlan G. Cohen, “Finding International Law, Part II: Our Fragmenting...
2021-10-0152 min
On PrincipleMarvelling at the Charedi Universe- Sociological Observations with Professor Chaim Saiman
2021-08-111h 00
18Forty PodcastTalmud HighlightsIn this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we sit down for a special podcast with our host, David Bashevkin, to review the first topic that 18Forty covered: Talmud. Though Judaism has many facets to its practice, Talmud study has long been one of its hallmarks. It is a sprawling text with many commentaries, and so can be analyzed from any number of perspectives. This episode highlight three: those of Ari Bergmann, Chaim Saiman, and Michelle Chesner. From its historical formation to its ideas to its format, the Talmud was analyzed at length for its 18Forty topic, and this...
2021-01-191h 00
Jewish Ideas to Change the WorldChaim Saiman - Halakhah, the Rabbinic Idea of LawRabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, President & Dean of Valley Beit Midrash, interviews Professor Chaim Saiman, Chair in Jewish Law at Villanova University's Charles Widger School of Law ), on the topic of "Halakhah, the Rabbinic Idea of Law."
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2020-07-2926 min
The Koren PodcastThe Big Gadol Debate - Does Modern Orthodoxy Have Gedolim?In the past few months, Modern Orthodoxy has suffered the loss of some of this generation's greatest leaders including Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm zt"l and Rabbi Dr. Nachum Rabinovitch zt"l. Our leaders have also faced challenges and had to find creative answers to some incredibly challenging questions arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic but does Modern Orthodoxy have Gedolim? What is a Gadol? Do Modern Orthodox Jews subscribe to a system of centralized leadership or do we draw on a wealth of different sources to come to a more pluralistic system of religious leadership?
2020-07-061h 17The Koren PodcastThe Big Gadol Debate - Does Modern Orthodoxy Have Gedolim?In the past few months, Modern Orthodoxy has suffered the loss of some of this generation's greatest leaders including Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm zt"l and Rabbi Dr. Nachum Rabinovitch zt"l. Our leaders have also faced challenges and had to find creative answers to some incredibly challenging questions arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic but does Modern Orthodoxy have Gedolim? What is a Gadol? Do Modern Orthodox Jews subscribe to a system of centralized leadership or do we draw on a wealth of different sources to come to a more pluralistic system of religious leadership?
2020-07-061h 17The Tikvah PodcastChaim Saiman on the "Zoom Seder" and Its DiscontentsAs the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread in the United States and Israel, and those nations' governments and public institutions responded with quarantines and social-distancing guidelines, the Jewish community was placed in a unique bind. Passover—the most widely observed holiday in the Jewish world, on which families and friends traditionally gather for the seder—was just around the corner. With the world on lockdown, what would the seder look like? The liberal denominations of Judaism responded quickly, encouraging the use of now-ubiquitous video conferencing technology to host "Zoom seders" and providing guidance on how to do so...
2020-05-2048 min
18Forty PodcastIs Talmud the Jewish Constitution? A Conversation with Chaim SaimanIn this episode, David discusses the mystifying qualities of the Talmud and how we find meaning in the nuance of Talmudic law with special guest Chaim Saiman, professor at Villanova Law School.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.
2020-03-181h 00
Crackers and Grape JuiceEpisode 228 : Chaim Saiman - Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of LawWhat if the generations of Talmudic interpretation demonstrate an inherently gracious nature to the Jewish Law? What if Protestant Christians are wrong and the Law is not a burdensome command meant to induce repentance but a gracious entry into thinking about everything in the world? Chaim Saiman, Professor of Law at Villanova University, is back on the podcast to talk about his most recent book, Halakah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law.
2019-10-041h 06
KMTT - the Torah PodcastFROM THE YESHIVA TO THE ACADEMY; OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN ACADEMIC JEWISH STUDIESEtzion Foundation's Jubilee Conference Panel, April 7, 2019, NYC Moderated by: Rabbi Dr. Michael Berger '80, Professor of Religion at Emory University in Atlanta, GA and Program Officer at AVI CHAI Foundation Panel Participants: Dr. Tamara Morsel-Eisenberg MO '06 – Historian of Early Modern Jewry, Junior fellow Harvard Society of Fellows Professor Chaim Saiman '96, Professor of Jewish Law, Contracts and Insurance Law at Villanova Law School and editor of American Journal of Comparative Law. Dr. Yael Landman Wermuth MO '05 – Visiting Research Fellow in Judaic Studies, Brooklyn College; Acquisitions Editor, Gorgias Pres...
2019-05-0851 minThe Tikvah PodcastChaim Saiman on the Rabbinic Idea of Law"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith." Thus speaks Jesus in the Book of Matthew, condemning the forerunners of Judaism's great rabbis for neglecting the spirit of the law, even while upholding its letter. Such condemnations are found throughout the New Testament, and this classic Christian critique of halakhah, Jewish law, has been repeated throughout the millennia by Jewish and Gentile critics of traditional Judaism. Yet, Judaism's sages have long maintained that halakhah represents the will...
2018-12-0746 min
Give and TakeEpisode 137: Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law, with Chaim SaimanMy guest is Chaim Saiman. His newest book is Halakhah: The Rabbinic Idea of Law. What does it mean for legal analysis to connect humans to God? Can spiritual teachings remain meaningful and at the same time rigidly codified? Can a modern state be governed by such law? Guiding readers across two millennia of richly illuminating perspectives, this book shows how halakhah is not just “law” but an entire way of thinking, being, and knowing.
Though typically translated as “Jewish law,” the term halakhah is not an easy match for what is usually thought of as law. This is...
2018-12-0152 minGive and TakeEpisode 91: The Talmudic Account of the Trial of Jesus, with Chaim SaimanMy guest is Chaim Saiman. He's a Professor of Law at Villanova University Law School, and is an expert in Law and Religion and Jewish Legal theory. He wrote a fascinating piece for First Things a few years ago called The Halakhah of Jesus' Trial. In it he reflects on the only piece of Talmud that talks about the trial and death of Jesus.Special Guest: Chaim Saiman .
2018-03-2752 minCrackers and Grape JuiceEpisode 139 - Chaim Saiman: Fact Checking Star WarsJason and Taylor have a conversation with Chaim Saiman about his viral article for The Atlantic titled Why The Last Jedi Is More Spiritual Than Religious. Chaim is a Law Professor at Villanova University and is interested in the intersection between law and faith. The conversation covers a range of topics including Jesus and the Law, growing up in the bible belt, the First Commandment, Jesus as the proto-Christian, the religiosity of Star Wars, and how our faiths and cultures are tied together.
2018-02-1647 minGive and TakeEpisode 76: Why the Last Jedi is more "Spiritual" than "Religious", with Chaim SaimanMy guest is Chaim Saiman. He's a Professor of Law at Villanova University Law School, and is an expert in Law and Religion and Jewish Legal theory. He also wrote a fascinating piece in the Atlantic about the most recent Star Wars film. It's called "Why The Last Jedi Is More 'Spiritual' Than 'Religious'."
You can find the Atlantic piece here: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/12/why-the-last-jedi-is-more-spiritual-than-religious/549146/.Special Guest: Chaim Saiman .
2018-01-171h 14