What is going on in the cryptic covenant ceremony in Exodus chapter 24? How did the rabbis actively model the halakhic structure of formal conversion to Judaism off the covenant at Mt. Sinai? How did they ensure it would be able to continue even after the destruction of the temple and the loss of sacrifices? What does any of this have to do with the arcane laws of the red heifer (Numbers 19)?
We will explore these questions and more across three text-intensive sessions focused on Exodus chapter 24 with commentaries, Talmud Bavli Keritot daf 9, and select passages from the commentary of the Tosafot across the Talmud.
Rabbi Dan Margulies teaches Tanakh, Talmud, and Halakha at the Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville MD and teaches Talmud in the Drisha summer kollel. He received his semikha from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah and from his personal mentor Dayan Simcha Krauss ztz”l, and continued his studies in the kollel at YU-RIETS. Before pursuing his yeshiva studies, he earned a BA in Chemical Physics and Mathematics from Columbia University. He previously served as a congregational rabbi in the New York area and currently lives in Washington DC.
