Drinking Imagery as Sexual Metaphor in the Talmud, featuring Rabbi Dr. Gail Labovitz
Having previously discussed Talmudic Parables of Wine with Looks with Dr. Elana Stein Hain on episode 133 of The Jewish Drinking Show, there are certainly Talmudic parables involving wine. However, there are also Talmudic parables that use wine and drinking for sexual references, too! Joining the 185th episode of The Jewish Drinking Show to explore these parables is Rabbi Dr. Gail Labovitz. Biography of Guest Rabbi Dr. Gail Labovitz is Professor of Rabbinic Literature and former Chair of the Department of Rabbinics for the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. She is the author of two books of rabbinic scholarship and of numerous articles in the areas of rabbinic literature, Jewish law, and feminist studies, including "Is Rav’s Wife 'a Dish'? Food and Eating Metaphors in Rabbinic Discourse of Sexuality and Gender Relations", which serves as the catalyst for this episode. Dr. Labovitz has also taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS) and the Academy for Jewish Religion in New York. Prior to joining the faculty at AJU, Dr. Labovitz worked as the Senior Research Analyst in Judaism for the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project at Brandeis University, and as the Coordinator for the Jewish Women’s Research Group, a project of the Women’s Studies Program at JTS. Rabbi Labovitz served for ten years on the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the Rabbinical Assembly, and authored two responsa, as well as participating in a number of other rabbinic and academic committees and activities. Most recently, she has become a member of the first cohort of the new Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at the Jewish Theological Seminary. Sources Textual sources for this episode are available here: https://jewishdrinking.com/wp-content... Time Stamps 0:00 Welcome 0:29 Introduction to Rabbi Dr. Gail Labovitz 1:30 Introduction to the topic 2:40 Introduction to drinking sexual metaphors in the Talmud 6:39 Mishnaic Texts: Mishnah Ketubot 3:4-5 13:56 Toseftan Texts: Tosefta Sotah 1:2 & Tosefta Sotah 5:9 30:23 Texts Involving Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi: Nedarim 20b & yShabbat 10:5 34:45 Beer recommendation 36:52 Further Early-Mid 3rd Century Rabbis: Shabbat 62b-63a & Sanhedrin 75a 38:38 Texts Involving Rava: Megillah 12b & Ketubot 75b 44:30 Conclusion 46:16 Anything to Promote? 47:29 L'chaim!

Philo on Drinking & Drunkenness, featuring Rabbi Dovid Campbell

Demons in the Talmud

Defying All Categories: Witches in the Talmud

Rajneesh Survivor: Full interview with Sarito Carroll (2025)

Risk Management for Private Practice: Legal Safeguards and Liability Protection

Exposing the LIES of the 20th Century | Aaron Bastani Meets Tariq Ali

Why Jewish knowledge of REINCARNATION was kept SECRET

This Is Why the World is Humiliating Trump: Wolff | Inside Trump's Head

My Near Death Experience-Vinney Tolman

20th Anniversary Lecture, Judaic Studies: Daniel Boyarin: No 'Judaism' In Josephus

Reflections on God, Life, and Love with Rabbi Arthur Green and Rabbi Ed Feinstein

AI Is Creating A Rare Opportunity For Investors. How Jim Roppel Is Playing It. | Investing With IBD

What You See Isn’t the Whole Story

Why Americans are injecting themselves with unregulated ‘miracle’ drugs | On the Ground

This Common Food Is Feeding Your Cancer Cells - Dr. William Li

Jewish Ex-Mobster Talks Antisemitism & Jewish Pride

Reflections from Rabbi Rick Jacobs

I Spent 90 Days Building, Cooking and Surviving in the Rainforest: Solo Bushcraft (Full)

What the Pope said about Jews is HUGE

