UATX Professor of Religion and Philosophy J.J. Kimche on the Talmud and why it matters.
An Englishman by upbringing and an intellectual historian by training, J.J. Kimche's work explores the intersections of European philosophy, Jewish thought, and the evolving trajectory of religious ideas in the modern West.
Recorded: June 1, 2026 at UATX.
00:00 — Intro
00:54 — Why this lecture is necessary
02:50 — What is the Talmud?
07:40 — The destruction of Jerusalem
09:46 — Scriptural interpretation
11:23 — The central curriculum of Jewish law, learning, & memory
13:30 — Argument & folklore
16:44 — Anti-Talmudism
19:07 — Why the Talmud can sound strange
20:26 — History's first “yo mama joke"
23:38 — How to read a Talmudic passage
25:37 — What is a Sukkah?
28:55 — Laying out the basic laws
30:59 — Seeking a scriptural source
33:23 — Finding practical differences between interpretations
39:25 — Form vs. material
43:45 — Legal driving age
49:09 — How to think
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