Jews and the Seventeenth Century Polish Fairs: The Interplay of Halkahah and Relaity

Rabbi Mintz on Jewish History - Glimpses into the religious Lives of Early Modern European Jewry

Many of the Jews of Poland in the sixteenth and seventeenth century relied on trading non-kosher wine in order to make a living. This lecture will explore the interplay between the rabbis and the community regarding deriving profit from non-kosher wine which the rabbis had declared to be forbidden. How did the rabbis address the fact that Jews at the fairs and in everyday life were trading in non-kosher wine? Furthermore, how does this interplay reflect the realities about Jewish life in Poland at this time?