Pruzbol: A Talmud Shiur
The Mishnah in the fourth chapter of Gittin lists a number of Rabbinic decrees created “mi-penei tikkun ha-olam,” for the betterment of the world. One of those listed is the Pruzbol, instituted by Hillel to encourage Jews to make loans to one another. This course will study the Talmudic discussion of Pruzbol in Gittin 36a-37b, which touches on a series of burning questions like “how was Pruzbol allowed in the first place?” and “should we get rid of it?” In each session we will use a section of the Talmud in Gittin as a jumping off point into parallel texts and medieval commentators. This course is oriented towards students with some experience studying medieval Talmud commentators, but most texts will be presented with translation.