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alexisrt's review
5.0
This is a very clearly written guide to the Talmud: its history, the material it covers, and methods of interpretation.
R' Steinsaltz is an Orthodox rabbi who has made it his life's work to open up the Talmud, and is writing from that perspective rather than a secular academic one, but he acknowledges historical sources and credits them when they contradict certain details in the Talmud itself. I'd say it's best for someone who wants this specific perspective, but it's a useful one.
R' Steinsaltz is an Orthodox rabbi who has made it his life's work to open up the Talmud, and is writing from that perspective rather than a secular academic one, but he acknowledges historical sources and credits them when they contradict certain details in the Talmud itself. I'd say it's best for someone who wants this specific perspective, but it's a useful one.
punkrockingnerd's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.0
I'm not quite sure that this was what I was really looking for in terms of reading. I wanted to read the Talmud, and since I have no prior knowledge of Jewish religious texts, I assumed this would be similar to Christian devotional (i.e., an accumulation of passages organized by themes), but this seemed to be more of a commentary. There was a lot of history and cultural contexts, but this felt more like a SparkNotes than a collage of quotations.
I could be wrong, and the Talmud very much could read like this, but I'll try to get a copy of the full Talmud from my local library, and then I may return back to this book again. Basically, it just wasn't what I was expecting/intending to read.
I could be wrong, and the Talmud very much could read like this, but I'll try to get a copy of the full Talmud from my local library, and then I may return back to this book again. Basically, it just wasn't what I was expecting/intending to read.
fractaltexan's review
4.0
A good Introduction to the Talmud, with a history of the creation of the Talmud, how the Talmud is printed, and contents of the Talmud. This definitely helped in my own limited study of the Talmud.
mrmiffmiff's review against another edition
4.0
Let me start with the bad, of which there's little. One flaw I spotted was that at times (namely the historical section) used certain terms without clarifying their meaning (the terms for various generations of sages come to mind), seeming to assume the reader already knew what they meant. For my part this wasn't a problem as I did know their meaning, but I can see it being confusing the uninitiated. Additionally, I noticed Steinsaltz didn't cite sources, which is sensible for the sections on the structure of the Talmud and its methods, but is a bit odd in the historical section as well.
All that said, this book is amazing. It provides a comprehensive overview of everything you could want to know about the Talmud, whether it's to start studying it, or simply to understand. The reader will come to understand the history of the Talmud, and the why and how behind its inception. The reader will understand something of its general contents, and the general layout of the Vilna page. And you also come to understand the methods behind its creation, the subculture behind it that leads to it, in some ways, still being developed today. This book is not only a great introduction to the Talmud, but to aspects of Jewish culture we may well take for granted.
All that said, this book is amazing. It provides a comprehensive overview of everything you could want to know about the Talmud, whether it's to start studying it, or simply to understand. The reader will come to understand the history of the Talmud, and the why and how behind its inception. The reader will understand something of its general contents, and the general layout of the Vilna page. And you also come to understand the methods behind its creation, the subculture behind it that leads to it, in some ways, still being developed today. This book is not only a great introduction to the Talmud, but to aspects of Jewish culture we may well take for granted.
zhelana's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.0
This book was a pretty good overview of the Talmud from how and why it was written down to what's actually in it to the fact that it was never considered actually complete. It talks about how the authors of the Talmud wrote so many contradicting statements and you need a teacher to actually tell you which one gets followed. It also talks about the importance of the Talmud to the Jewish people, even more so than the Bible itself you can't understand modern Judaism without understanding the Talmud. It was interesting, but the chapters didn't seem to build on themselves which left it feeling a little like I couldn't remember what I read last week when I tried to read again this week. I will say that for such an old book (published in the 1970s) it holds up remarkably well. I will say, however, that I already knew most of the information in this book and it's better for someone just converting to Judaism or who didn't receive a comprehensive Jewish education.
marshallh's review against another edition
5.0
Great overview of the History of the Talmud, it is the 1000ft view.
fauxpunk's review against another edition
3.0
It's pretty dry and listening to the audiobook was a bad idea because the narrator's voice puts me to sleep. It's a good basic overview of what the Talmud is and where it came from, but the Talmud itself is way more interesting.