The Essential Talmud

2.79 MB·English

by  Adin Steinsaltz

Cover Page Page: 1
Title Page Page: 3
Copyright Page Page: 4
Preface to Essential Talmud Page: 5
Part one: History Page: 6
1: What is the Talmud? Page: 7
2: Life in the Talmudic Period Page: 10
The Political Background Eretz Israel Page: 10
Babylonia Page: 10
Internal Administration Eretz Israel Page: 11
Babylonia Page: 12
Culture and Language Eretz Israel Page: 12
Babylonia Page: 13
The Economy Page: 13
Education and Study Page: 14
The Synagogue Page: 14
The Bet Midrash (Torah Academy) Page: 15
The Rabbinical Courts Page: 16
The Scholars and Their Disciples Page: 17
3: The Oral Law—The First Generations Page: 19
4: The Oral Law—The Era of the Zugot (Pairs) Page: 22
5: The Tannaim Page: 24
6: The Compilation of the Mishnah Page: 27
7: The Amoraim in Babylonia Page: 30
8: The Amoraim in Palestine Page: 33
9: The Redaction of the Babylonian Talmud Page: 36
10: Talmudic Exegesis Page: 39
11: The Printing of the Talmud Page: 43
12: The Persecution and Banning of the Talmud Page: 46
Part two: Structure And Content Page: 47
13: The Structure of the Talmud Page: 48
14: The Layout of a Talmud Page Page: 50
Page Numbers (1) Page: 50
The Page Heading (2) Page: 50
The Talmud Text [the Mishnah and the Gemara] (3) Page: 50
Punctuation (5) Page: 51
Parentheses and Corrections of the Text (6) Page: 51
Rashi’s Commentary (7) Page: 51
Tosafot (8) Page: 51
Vernacular Words Page: 52
References in Rashi and the Tosafot (9) Page: 52
The Commentary of Rabbenu Hananel (10) Page: 52
Ein Mishpat Ner Mitzvah (11) Page: 52
Torah Or (12) Page: 52
Masoret HaShas (13) Page: 53
Haggahot HaBah. (14) Page: 53
Haggahot HaGra (15) Page: 53
Gilyon HaShas (16) Page: 53
Haggahot Rav B. Ronsburg (17) Page: 54
Summary of Special Signs Page: 54
Commentaries and Other Additions Page: 54
Additional Commentaries That Do Not Appear on the Page Page: 54
Appended Collections of Halakhic Decisions Page: 55
15: The Subject Matter of the Talmud Page: 57
16: Prayers and Benedictions Page: 59
17: The Sabbath Page: 62
18: The Festivals Page: 65
19: Marriage and Divorce Page: 70
20: The Status of Women Page: 73
21: Civil Law Page: 76
22: Criminal Law Page: 82
23: Sacrifices Page: 86
24: Dietary Laws Page: 89
25: Ritual Purity and Impurity Page: 93
26: Ethics and Halakhah Page: 95
27: Derekh Eretz(Deportment) Page: 97
28: The World of Mysticism Page: 99
Part Three: Method Page: 101
29: Midrash(Halakhic Exegesis) Page: 102
30: The Talmudic Way of Thinking Page: 104
31: Strange and Bizarre Problems Page: 107
32: Methods of Study Page: 108
33: The Talmud and the Halakhah Page: 111
34: Aggadah in the Talmud Page: 112
35: What is a Scholar? Page: 115
36: The Talmud’s Importance for the People Page: 117
37: The Talmud Has Never Been Completed Page: 118
Appendix Page: 119
Index Page: 120