The Babylonian Talmud, Book 1

The Babylonian Talmud by Jewish scholar Michael L. Rodkinson was an attempt to translate the Talmud, the vast collection of Jewish laws and traditions. Rodkinsons' ten-book edition, contains complete translations of the 'Festivals' and 'Jurisprudence' sections of the Talmud, comprising only about a third of the Talmud. This first book contains the Tract Sabbath, which discusses what can and cannot be done on the Jewish Holy day. It contains a wealth of information on everyday Jewish life in late Classical times, including, a great number of medical recipes. Because almost everything is done differently on the Sabbath, this contains an incredible level of ethnographic detail about a wide range of household activities including livestock, clothing, meals, horticulture, hunting, and other more obscure topics, such as fire-fighting and feminine hygiene. Rodkinson makes the point in an appendix that many of the Talmundic regulations which seem to be arbitrary were developed as a response to political persecution. He also includes a prayer which is offered upon the conclusion of studying any tract. It should be noted that Rodkinson has been criticized by traditionalist Jews who feel that translating the Talmud is not an acceptable practice.