About the Course
The rabbis of the Talmud didn't just create their own stories. Occasionally, they would adopt – and adapt – narratives from surrounding cultures, reworking them to suit their own religious and moral agenda. In this six-part course, we will explore three rabbinic adaptations, reading each Talmudic story alongside its source in ancient myth and folklore. By tracing the rabbis’ editorial fingerprints, we will uncover how they transformed their chosen narratives and consider what their revisions reveal about the religious and moral ideas they sought to convey. DATES: Wednesdays, Oct. 21, 28, Nov. 4, 11, 18, 25, 2026 TIME: 9:30–10:30 AM Pacific / 12:30–1:30 PM Eastern / 5:30–6:30 PM UK / 7:30–8:30 PM Israel Note: Due to the clock change in the UK and Israel on October 25th, the session on October 28th will take place at: 9:30–10:30 AM Pacific / 12:30–1:30 PM Eastern / 4:30–5:30 PM UK / 6:30–7:30 PM Israel
What to expect in this course
Class style
Lecture + havruta (paired learning) in breakout rooms
Participation
Questions welcomed throughout
Source sheets and materials
Will be shown on-screen during the session
Meet Gila Fine
Gila Fine is the author of The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: Rereading the Women of the Talmud, winner of the 74th National Jewish Book Award and the 2024 Rabbi Sacks Book Prize. She is a lecturer of rabbinic literature, exploring the tales of the Talmud through philosophy, literary criticism, psychoanalysis, and pop-culture. Gila serves on the faculties of Shalem College, the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, the Tikvah Scholars Program, the Nachshon Project, and the London School of Jewish Studies, and has taught thousands of students at conferences and communities across the Jewish world. She is the recipient of the Maimonides Award for Excellence in Jewish Education. As editor in chief of Maggid Books, Gila worked closely with such leading scholars as Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz and Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, publishing over a hundred titles of contemporary Jewish thought, including several bestsellers and National Jewish Book Award winners. She is also the former editor of Azure: Ideas for the Jewish Nation. Gila’s work has been featured in the BBC, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, The Jerusalem Report, Tradition, Jewish News, and The Jewish Chronicle (which selected her as one of the ten most influential Brits in Israel). Haaretz has called her “a young woman on her way to becoming one of the more outstanding Jewish thinkers of the next generation.”
Ready to read between the lines?
Enroll now to discover how the rabbis transformed ancient myths and legends – and what their revisions reveal about the world of the Talmud.
$100.00