Explore every episode of the podcast Parallel Judaism

In one of the most famous stories in the Talmud, Rabbi Eliezer attempts to illustrate the correctness of his opinion through a series of miraculous events, but ultimately loses the argument when Rabbi Yehoshua quotes a verse that says “Torah is not in the heavens.”  

But in Earth #78 the story ended differently.  In this episode, writer Dovber Naiditch shares his experience living in a world where Jewish Law is decided based on demonstrations of G-d’s will, rather than debate.

The story as it appears in the Talmud in our world can be found here:

https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Metzia.59b.1?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en

Around 500 years ago Jews were introduced to turkeys and, after a lot of debate among Rabbis, the vast majority of the Jewish world eventually agreed we can eat them.

That’s where Earth #157 diverged from our world.

In this episode, Dovid Taub interviews an alternate version of his sister, writer Rachel Klein, who shares what it’s like to live in a world where turkeys aren’t kosher.

For more information on the kosher status of turkeys in our world, check out this article:

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4647767/jewish/Is-Turkey-Kosher.htm

What if turkeys weren't kosher? What if chicken parmesan was? What if a Torah scroll could be printed instead of hand-written? How would these relatively small differences change the course of history?

Come with us on a journey through the Jewish multiverse!