The Talmud: What It Is and What It Says

(Paperback)

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Description

Wherever Jews have settled and whatever languages they spoke, they created a community with a single set of common values. One law, one theology defined the community throughout their many migrations. A single book explains how this came aboutthe Talmud. By re-framing the Torah through sustained argument and analysis, the Talmud encourages the reader to actively apply reason and practice logic. Renowned scholar Jacob Neusner introduces readers to the Talmud, defining it, explaining its historical context, and illustrating why it remains relevant today. Neusner's The Talmud: What It Is and What It Says invites readers to engage with the text, and emphasizes that the Talmud will continue to be an important cultural guidebook for Jewish life through the next millennium.

Reviews

Although a primer is commonly perceived as a simple, introductory book on a subject, what Neusner has produced here is a complex analysis that requires painstaking attention...Assiduous readers of all faiths will benefit from this introduction to the Talmud as a 'cookbook of culture composed of recipes for sustaining civilization.' * Publishers Weekly *

Author Bio

Jacob Neusner is Research Professor of Theology and Senior Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Theology at Bard College. He is also a Member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, and Life Member of Clare Hall at Cambridge University, England. He has published numerous books with University Press of America on Jewish studies, particularly Rabbinic Judaism.