Ritual objects for the feast of sukkot: Theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the Balkans

Can we think of the artifact as an integral part of an anthropology of life as it has developed in the wake of the anthropology of nature founded by Philippe Descola? Judaism clearly fits within this perspective since a vast body of normative texts, notably the Babylonian Talmud, defines an...

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Main Author: Vartejanu-Joubert Madalina
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institute for Balkan Studies SASA 2024-01-01
Series:Balcanica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-7653/2024/0350-76532455211V.pdf
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author Vartejanu-Joubert Madalina
author_facet Vartejanu-Joubert Madalina
author_sort Vartejanu-Joubert Madalina
collection DOAJ
description Can we think of the artifact as an integral part of an anthropology of life as it has developed in the wake of the anthropology of nature founded by Philippe Descola? Judaism clearly fits within this perspective since a vast body of normative texts, notably the Babylonian Talmud, defines and discusses the jewishness of artifacts - whether ritual or everyday - by endeavoring to determine their correct position on a graduated scale ranging from nature to artifice, understood here as emic categories. This article aims to support this reflection by studying two ritual objects related to the festival of Sukkot: the skhakh, the roof of the sukka hut, and the lulav, the bouquet of the four species. As we shall see, the making of the ritual object according to specific rules shows us its place in the encounter with the supernatural, the goal towards which any ritual device aspires. After a theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions, we will look at some of the practical ways in which the Sukkot hut can be documented photographically in the Balkans, in the broadest sense of the term. We will present examples from Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.
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spelling doaj-art-0a781bfd42e942c8ab3b711f8efb8b4a2025-01-30T06:44:47ZengInstitute for Balkan Studies SASABalcanica0350-76532406-08012024-01-0120245521124010.2298/BALC2455211V0350-76532455211VRitual objects for the feast of sukkot: Theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the BalkansVartejanu-Joubert Madalina0Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales, Pluralité des Langues et des Identités : Didactique - Acquisition - Médiations, Paris, FranceCan we think of the artifact as an integral part of an anthropology of life as it has developed in the wake of the anthropology of nature founded by Philippe Descola? Judaism clearly fits within this perspective since a vast body of normative texts, notably the Babylonian Talmud, defines and discusses the jewishness of artifacts - whether ritual or everyday - by endeavoring to determine their correct position on a graduated scale ranging from nature to artifice, understood here as emic categories. This article aims to support this reflection by studying two ritual objects related to the festival of Sukkot: the skhakh, the roof of the sukka hut, and the lulav, the bouquet of the four species. As we shall see, the making of the ritual object according to specific rules shows us its place in the encounter with the supernatural, the goal towards which any ritual device aspires. After a theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions, we will look at some of the practical ways in which the Sukkot hut can be documented photographically in the Balkans, in the broadest sense of the term. We will present examples from Greece, Romania and Bulgaria.https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-7653/2024/0350-76532455211V.pdfrabbinic judaismritual objectanthropologynatureartificesukkotlulavskhakhdescola
spellingShingle Vartejanu-Joubert Madalina
Ritual objects for the feast of sukkot: Theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the Balkans
Balcanica
rabbinic judaism
ritual object
anthropology
nature
artifice
sukkot
lulav
skhakh
descola
title Ritual objects for the feast of sukkot: Theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the Balkans
title_full Ritual objects for the feast of sukkot: Theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the Balkans
title_fullStr Ritual objects for the feast of sukkot: Theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the Balkans
title_full_unstemmed Ritual objects for the feast of sukkot: Theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the Balkans
title_short Ritual objects for the feast of sukkot: Theoretical analysis of the Talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the Balkans
title_sort ritual objects for the feast of sukkot theoretical analysis of the talmudic prescriptions and some of their ethnographical achievements in the balkans
topic rabbinic judaism
ritual object
anthropology
nature
artifice
sukkot
lulav
skhakh
descola
url https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-7653/2024/0350-76532455211V.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT vartejanujoubertmadalina ritualobjectsforthefeastofsukkottheoreticalanalysisofthetalmudicprescriptionsandsomeoftheirethnographicalachievementsinthebalkans