Israel Institute for Advanced Studies
Israel
fellow
Shlomi Zemach
2026-2027
Home institution
The Hebrew University
Country of origin (home institution)
Israel
Discipline(s)
Ancient history; Humanities; Law
Theme(s)
Other; Religion
Fellowship dates
›
Biography
Shlomi Zemach is a scholar of Rabbinic literature, specializing in philological, historical, and literary analysis. He completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Talmud and Halakha at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, focusing on the internal development and literary crystallization of judicial oaths in Tannaitic halakha, while integrating comparative perspectives from provincial and Greco-Roman legal traditions. His research explores rabbinic texts within their broader cultural environment, incorporating documentary papyrology, epigraphy, and classical literature alongside close textual reading.
Research Project
Koinonia in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures
As part of the research group examining the multifaceted ideal of koinonia in late antiquity, his project investigates how notions of association, partnership, and collegiate structure are conceptualized within Rabbinic literature. He examines two central domains: the procedural and institutional formation of the rabbinic court (beit din), and the cultural and communal dynamics of rabbinic study circles (havurot). By contextualizing these rabbinic models within contemporary Greco-Roman legal and intellectual frameworks, the research explores how early rabbis negotiated shared authority and collective study in a pluralistic Mediterranean world.
Research Interests:
Rabbinic Literature and Halakha, Midrashic Literature, Early Rabbinic Biblical Exegesis, Philological and Textual Criticism, Ancient Legal History, Roman and Provincial Legal Realia.