Daf Moby: A Voyage through Melville’s Talmud

There is a Jewish tradition of studying a single page of the Talmud every day until its completion. This tradition is called Daf Yomi (Hebrew for “page of the day”). Because the Talmud is a multi-volume work of ancient law, narrative, and commentary, a full cycle of Daf Yomi takes about seven and a half years to complete. Jews from around the world who study the same page on the same day over this long period of time share a distinct sacred experience. Two professors of Religion and Jewish Studies at Williams College wondered what would happen if they studied a page of Moby-Dick every day in the tradition of Daf Yomi. They called their project Daf Moby. Join them for this free, virtual discussion of their voyage.

Pre-registration is required; email melville@berkshirehistory.org to receive the event link.

Jeffrey Israel is an associate professor and chair of the religion department at Williams College, where he also teaches in the Jewish Studies program. He is the author of Living with Hate in American Politics and Religion (Columbia, 2019).  

Edan Dekel is the Garfield Professor of Ancient Languages and chair of the Jewish studies program at Williams College. His teaching and research interests include ancient Greek and Latin poetry, biblical studies, Jewish folklore, medieval literature, classical and biblical reception, and the history of the book.