2025-02-15
[public] 31.2K views, 2.09K likes, dislikes audio only
Today we are solving an ancient bankruptcy puzzle from the Talmud using the principle of communicating vessels. A very nice visual way of making sense of an otherwise tricky problem.
"Game theoretic analysis of a bankruptcy problem from the Talmud" by Robert J Aumann and Michael Maschler
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0022053185901024
" ‘Hydraulic’ rationing" by Marek M. Kaminski
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165489699000451
Also check out his book about his time as a political prisoner
Games Prisoners Play: The Tragicomic Worlds of Polish Prison
"Notes on the Bankruptcy Problem: an Application of
Hydraulic Rationing" by Tamás Fleiner and Balázs Sziklai
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/108227/1/MTDP1123.pdf
Robert Aumann with an anecdote of fair division from his childhood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHDUMQfDkmQ
I did not mention this but the three creditors are actually the three wives of the man who dies.
The Talmud online:
Hebrew and English
https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Talmud
Scanned pages in Hebrew
Talmud references:
The bankruptcy case: Ketubot 93a
https://www.sefaria.org/Ketubot.93a.1?lang=bi
(on e-daf Ketubot is spelled Kesuvos)
Contested garment: Bava Metzia 2a
https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Metzia.2a.1?lang=bi
The brother who dies childless case: Yevamot 38a
https://www.sefaria.org/Yevamot.37b.1?lang=bi
(on e-daf Ketubot is spelled Yevamos)
A few of the images in this video are from the wiki page dedicated to the Talmud.
Music: "Here to fight" by Roman P.
T-shirt: One of my own (I think) from a long time ago.
Enjoy!
Burkard