| Acknowledgments | p. xv |
| Preface | p. xvii |
| Introduction | p. 1 |
| Historical Memories and the Lessons of History | |
| Hasmonean Memories | p. 25 |
| The Festival of Hanukka (Bavli Shabbat 21a) | p. 27 |
| Nikanor's Day (Bavli Taanit 18b) | p. 27 |
| The War of Aristobolus and Hyrcanus (Bavli Sotah 49b) | p. 29 |
| Of Sieges and Sacrifices (Yerushalmi Berakhot 4:1, 7b) | p. 29 |
| The Sages and King Yannai: Standing Up to Authority (Bavli Sanhedrin 19a-b) | p. 31 |
| Herod and Bava b. Buta (Bavli Bava Batra 3b-4a) | p. 33 |
| Stories of Destruction | p. 38 |
| The Destruction of the Second Temple (I) (Bavli Gittin 55b-57a) | p. 38 |
| The Destruction of the Second Temple (II) (Avot d'Rabbi Natan [section]4) | p. 48 |
| The Destructions of Tur Malka and Betar (Bavli Gittin 57a) | p. 51 |
| Bar Kokhba: Hubris and Defeat (Yerushalmi Taanit 4:8, 68d) | p. 55 |
| Rebuilding the Temple (Genesis Rabbah 64:8) | p. 61 |
| Rabbinic Authority, Rabbinic Character | |
| The Banning of Akavia b. Mehalalel: A Dissident Opposes the Majority (Mishna Eduyyot 5:6-7) | p. 67 |
| Hillel and the Passover | p. 71 |
| Hillel and the Passover (I): The Sources and Methods of Rabbinic Law (Tosefta Pesahim 4:13-14) | p. 71 |
| Hillel and the Passover (II): Mastery of Torah and Arrogance (Bavli Pesahim 66a) | p. 74 |
| Hillel and the Passover (III): The Importance of Tradition (Yerushalmi Pesahim 6:1, 33a) | p. 76 |
| The "Oven of Akhnai": Rabbinic Authority and Human Dignity (Bavli Bava Metsia 59a-59b) | p. 80 |
| The New Month and the Authority of the Patriarch (Mishna Rosh HaShana 2:9-11) | p. 85 |
| Authority over the Calendar | p. 88 |
| Palestinian Privilege; Babylonian Challenge (I) (Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 1:2, 19a) | p. 90 |
| Palestinian Privilege; Babylonian Challenge (II) (Bavli Berakhot 63a-b) | p. 91 |
| Life and Death in the Rabbinic Academy | |
| Conflict in the Academy: The Deposition of Rabban Gamaliel | p. 95 |
| Gamaliel the Tyrant (Yerushalmi Berakhot 4:1, 7c-d) | p. 98 |
| Gamaliel the Elitist (Bavli Berakhot 27b-28a) | p. 99 |
| Leadership of the Academy: Lineage or Torah? (Bavli Horayot 13b-14a) | p. 104 |
| The Saga of Rav Kahana: The Torah of Babylonia vs. the Torah of Palestine (Bavli Bava Qama 117a-b) | p. 109 |
| The Tragedy of R. Yohanan and Resh Laquish: Give Me Dialectics or Give Me Death! (Bavli Bava Metsia 84a) | p. 114 |
| The Tragedy of Honi: Give Me Fellowship or Give Me Death! (Bavli Taanit 23a) | p. 117 |
| Holy Men and Rabbinic Masters | |
| R. Shimon bar Yohai | p. 121 |
| R. Shimon bar Yohai, the Miracle-worker (Yerushalmi Sheviit 9:1, 38d) | p. 123 |
| The Education of R. Shimon bar Yohai (Bavli Shabbat 33b-34a) | p. 125 |
| Honi the Circle-Drawer: The Holy Man and Rain | p. 128 |
| Honi's Prayers for Rain (I) (Mishna Taanit 3:9-12) | p. 129 |
| Honi's Prayers for Rain (II) (Bavli Taanit 23a) | p. 130 |
| R. Yehoshua b. Levi and the Angel of Death (Bavli Ketubot 77b) | p. 133 |
| Women, Wives and Marriage | |
| Rabbis and Wives: Love, Babylonian Style (Bavli Ketubot 62b) | p. 139 |
| God as Marriage-Maker (Leviticus Rabbah 8:1) | p. 146 |
| Rabbis, Husbands and Wives | p. 148 |
| The Pious Wife (Yerushalmi Sotah 1:4, 16d) | p. 149 |
| The Ugly Wife (Bavli Nedarim 66b) | p. 150 |
| Beruria (Bavli Eruvin 53b, Berakhot 10a) | p. 151 |
| Romans, Gentiles and Others | |
| Alexander Macedon and the World Court (Bavli Sanhedrin 91a) | p. 157 |
| Alexander Macedon and the Faraway King (Yerushalmi Bava Metsia 2:5, 8c) | p. 161 |
| Antoninus and Rabbi | p. 163 |
| The Body and the Soul (Bavli Sanhedrin 91a) | p. 164 |
| The Evil Inclination (Genesis Rabbah 34:10) | p. 165 |
| Political Consultation (Genesis Rabbah 67:5) | p. 166 |
| Antoninus, Servant of Rabbi (Bavli Avodah Zarah 10b) | p. 167 |
| Jesus and His Disciples | p. 169 |
| Rabbis and Christians (Tosefta Hullin 2:22-24) | p. 172 |
| Jesus the Wayward Disciple (Bavli Sanhedrin 107b) | p. 174 |
| The Trial and Death of Jesus (Bavli Sanhedrin 43a) | p. 175 |
| Onqelos the Convert (Bavli Avodah Zarah 11a) | p. 176 |
| The Life of Piety: Charity, Commandments, Virtues | |
| Hillel, Shammai and Converts: Virtues and Theological Basics (Bavli Shabbat 31a) | p. 181 |
| The Commandment of the Fringes and Its Reward (Sifre Numbers [section]115) | p. 186 |
| The Power of Righteousness (Bavli Shabbat 156b) | p. 190 |
| The Honor of Parents (Yerushalmi Qiddushin 1:6, 61b / Bavli Qiddushin 31b) | p. 193 |
| The Pursuit of Torah (Bavli Yoma 35b, Sanhedrin 10a, Berakhot 62a) | p. 200 |
| Suffering, Martyrdom and Theodicy | |
| Nahum of Gamzu: Happy that You See Me Suffer | p. 207 |
| To Suffer or Not to Suffer (Yerushalmi Peah 8:9, 21b) | p. 208 |
| The Rewards for Suffering (Bavli Taanit 21a) | p. 208 |
| Suffering: Not Them and Not Their Reward | p. 210 |
| Test of the Righteous (Song of Songs Rabbah 2:16) | p. 211 |
| Not Them and Not Their Reward (Bavli Berakhot 5b) | p. 213 |
| Theodicy and Torah (Bavli Menahot 29b) | p. 215 |
| Stories of Martyrdom | p. 218 |
| The Mother and Her Seven Sons (Bavli Gittin 57b) | p. 220 |
| The Martyrdom of R. Ishmael and R. Shimon (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Ishmael, Neziqin, [section]18) | p. 222 |
| The Martyrdom of R. Akiba (I) (Yerushalmi Berakhot 9:5, 14b) | p. 223 |
| The Martyrdom of R. Akiba (II) (Bavli Berakhot 61b) | p. 223 |
| Sin and Repentance | |
| Stories of Elisha b. Abuya | p. 229 |
| Elisha as Sinning Sage: The Inviolability of Torah (I) (Bavli Hagiga 15a-b) | p. 230 |
| Elisha as Sinning Sage: The Inviolability of Torah (II) (Yerushalmi Hagiga 2:2, 77b-c) | p. 237 |
| Elisha the Heinous Sinner (Yerushalmi Hagiga 2:1, 77b) | p. 242 |
| The Power of Repentance (Bavli Avodah Zarah 17a) | p. 245 |
| A Sinner's Good Deed (Yerushalmi Taanit 1:4, 64b) | p. 247 |
| Notes | p. 249 |
| Bibliography | p. 303 |
| Indices | p. 305 |
| Index of Biblical and Rabbinic Sources | p. 305 |
| Subject and Name Index | p. 311 |
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