In this essay, I attempt to inscribe the mysterious location known as “the cities
of the sea” (כרכי הים) onto the map of rabbinic scholarship. Classical rabbinic
authors look toward this mythic locale for three reasons: (1) to discuss tales of
sin (and sometimes salvation); (2) to offer definitions and clarifications of
obscure words; and (3) to explain halakhic exceptions. Through an examination
of כרכי הים in the classical rabbinic corpus, I argue that “the cities of the
sea” should be understood as a locus of rabbinic pedagogy and not necessarily
viewed as an actual, mappable location.