The Essential Talmud

By Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

Book Overview

A masterful introduction to the to the great repository of Jewish wisdom, the TalmudIn The Essential Talmud, the renowned Israeli scholar and teacher Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz succinctly describes the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465020631
• ISBN13: 9780465020638
• Release Date: March 1984
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A very good short introduction

This is the best short introduction to the Talmud I know. The first section that relates the history of the Talmud's creation is the most extensive and interesting part of the work. The short summaries of various tractates also provide a basic knowledge. But there is no substitute for ' learning the Talmud with others' Hopefully this work will encourage many to do so.

My l i t t l e review

I liked this book and found it very helpful. It is more about how the Talmud was actually put together, than a review or commentary on what the Talmud actually contains.

Clear, Interesting Summary of Some of the Talmud's Teaching

Trying to summarize the Talmud in a paperback is quite an undertaking, but Steinsalz has provided readers with a taste of the Talmud's wisdom.Steinsalz clarifies some interesting distinctions. For example, women were exempted from certain legal responsibilities out of concern for their limitations in rearing children, etc., but not forbidden from many of them (e.g., going to the Temple for the Feasts).I write as a Christian pastor whose interest lies in the Jewish roots of my particular faith. So whether investigating Judaism as a Jew or whether probing into the Talmud as a non-Jew, this book is a valuable distillation.