The Wisdom Of The Talmud

The Wisdom of the Talmud

by Ben Zion Bokser

“Formidable in dimensions, written in a difficult Aramaic, elusive in lots of its discussions, the Talmud has always been an enigma to many. Can the common reader get some good concept of what this vast literature is about, of the men who produced it, of the ideas which inspired them? Can we open a window to permit the modern reader to behold the entire world of the Talmud, its culture, its life style?”

A great and highly readable introduction to the Talmud for contemporary readers.

The literature of the Talmud represents approximately one thousand years of Jewish thought. Its foundations were laid by the job of Ezra during the middle of the forth century B.C.E, in the neighborhood of the returned exiles from Babylonia, who inaugurated the next Jewish commonwealth in Palestine. Its period of greatest productivity came in the centuries that followed the disastrous Jewish war against Rome in 70 C.E. The Talmud is not an unbiased literature however. It proceeds instead as a complement to the Bible. The Bible remained the fundamental source of belief and practice in Judaism, however the Talmud was its authoritative exposition and implementation. The positioning of the Talmud in Jewish life has been paramount. It absolutely was studied zealously by young and old alike, who present in it the authoritative word concerning the real meaning of Scripture. The lighter side of the Talmud, its parables, its ethical aphorisms, its legendary tales, delighted the most popular people. The much more serious side, the subtle discussions of law, were a pleasant outlet for the intellectual interests of the learned.

Table of Contents :

Introduction

01. The Talmud as Literature

02. The Forerunners of the Talmud

03. The Talmud in its Historical Setting

04. The Theological Elements in the Talmud

05. Social Ethics in the Talmud

06. Personal Morality in the Talmud

07. The Jurisprudence of the Talmud

08. Human Wisdom in the Talmud