What is Talmud?, The Oral Torah Options

[History]

At every non-Jewish Forum I've visited this past half-decade, I have found misinformation and misunderstanding regarding the Talmud and, ultimately, someone will break through and respectfully ask, "What is Talmud?"

One typically Jewish answer is "What isn't Talmud?"

Permit me to share some replies I've provided in the past.
Regarding the Talmud:

What is it ? Why is it there if its not Gods direct word ? What does it compare to in other religions ?

G-d's Written Law in Torah is in summary form.
For example, the Torah (Written Law) says, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy."--Shemot 20:8
But it doesn't tell us "how" to do so.
The Talmud (Oral Law) explains how, from the lighting of candles, the prayers to be recited, the "work" not permissable, etc.
The Talmud is a commentary on the Torah in the application of G-d's Law in our daily lives. It fills in the details and explores the possible as well as the best meanings of G-d's Instruction, using Torah itself as the source of understanding.
Traditionally, both Torah and Talmud were received by Moses on Mount Sinai.

In my study of Islam, I have found the Talmud best parallels the Sunnah and Hadiths. And even the Quran. IN fact, you will find teachings from the Talmud repeated in the Quran:

"And anyone who spares a life, it shall be as if he spared the lives of all the people."--Sura 5:32

"Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world."--Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 4:1 (22a)



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"Acquire for yourself a teacher of Torah (G-d's ethical Teachings), gain yourself a friend, and judge every person to the side of merit."—Talmud, Pirke Avos I:6

The Talmud (translation "Study", a.k.a. the Oral Law), consists of many many volumes. The Dafi Yomi (those who read a page of Talmud a day) complete the Talmud once every 7 years. Talmud is not "read" but studied and discussed by groups, at least traditionally.

Talmud is not for the novice, imho. But if you would like a book that gleans the essence of Talmud, I would suggest:

Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages by Abraham Cohen, Jacob Neusner
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...=books&n=507846

or

Essential Talmud by Adin Steinsaltz
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...ce&a...=books&st=*

For a delightful small book of "100 Beloved Parables from the Talmud" I would highly recommend: Saving the World Entire by Rabbi Bradley Bleefield and Robert Shook. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...=glance&s=books

My favorite "book" of wisdom from the Talmud is called the Pirke Avot or Ethics/Sayings of the Fathers and this can be found in modern translations, such as:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...=glance&s=books
and in various editions (Pirke Avos) at the Orthodox Publishers of Artscroll.com:
http://www.artscroll.com/Titles/P.html

...who also provide many of the complete volumes of the Talmud in new editions: http://www.artscroll.com/Talmud1.htm

For a description of Talmud:
http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Ju...d_&_mishna.html
http://www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm#Talmud

For a pitzel (Yiddish: wee tiny) sampling see:
http://www.aishdas.org/webshas/pages.htm

For a partial Talmud on-line (in English)see:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/talmud.htm

For a Chasidic site Pirke Avot on-line: http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=5708

To see what a page of Talmud looks like:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudPage.html
http://www.artscroll.com/Talmud1.htm

There's even: "Talmud: The Musical" (LOL):
http://www.maqom.com/musical.html

The study of Talmud is a study of Life and a Life's study.
>smile<

Respectfully,
History

[History]

"What is the Talmudic method?"
How do Jews approach the study of Talmud, that compendium of Jewish Common Law, collected in over 40 volumes [http://www.artscroll.com/Talmud1.htm ] over a period of 1000 years dealing with all aspects of how a Jew is to live per Torah under G-d as debated and commented and commented on the comments down through the centuries?

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The Talmudic Method

In the Talmudic method of text study, the starting point is the principle that any text that is deemed worthy of serious study must be assumed to have been written with such care and precision that every term, expression, generalization or exception is significant not so much for what it states as for what it implies. The contents of ideas as well as the diction and phraseology in which they are clothed are to enter into the reasoning. This method is characteristic of the Tannaitic (*1) interpretation of the Bible from the earliest times; the belief in the divine origin of the Bible was sufficient justification for attaching importance to its external forms of expression. The same method was followed later by the Amoraim(*2) in their interpretation of the Mishnah(*3) and by their successors in the interpretation of the Talmud (*4), and it continued to be applied to the later forms of Rabbinic Literature. Serious students themselves, accustomed to a rigid form of logical reasoning and to the usage of precise forms of expression, the Talmudic trained scholars attributed the same quality of precision and exactness to any authoritative work, be it of divine origin or the product of the human mind. Their attitude toward the written word of any kind is like that of the jurist toward the external phrasing of statutes and laws, and perhaps also, in some respect, like that of the latest kind of historical and literary criticism which applies the method of psycho-analysis to the study of texts.

This attitude toward texts had its necessary concomitant in what may again be called the Talmudic hypothetico-deductive method of text interpretation. Confronted with a statement on any subject, the Talmudic student will proceed to raise a series of questions before he satisfies himself of having understood its full meaning. If the statement is not clear enough, he will ask, 'What does the author intend to say here?' If it is too obvious, he will again ask, 'It is too plain, why then expressly say it?' If it is a statement of fact or of a concrete instance, he will then ask, 'What underlying principle does it involve?' If it is broad generalization, he will want to know exactly how much it is to include; and if it is an exception to a general rule, he will want to know how much it is to exclude. He will furthermore want to know all the circumstances under which a certain statement is true, and what qualifications are permissible.

Statements apparently contradictory to each other will be reconciled by the discovery of some subtle distinction, and statements apparently irrelevant to each other will be subtly analyzed into their ultimate elements and shown to contain some common underlying principle. The harmonization of apparent contradictions and the interlinking of apparent irrelevancies are two characteristic features of the Talmudic method of text study. And similarly every other phenomenon about the text becomes a matter of investigation. Why does the author use one word rather than another? What need was there for the mentioning of a specific instance as an illustration? Do certain authorities differ or not? If they do, why do they differ?

All these are legitimate questions for the Talmudic student of texts. And any attempt to answer these questions calls for ingenuity and skill, the power of analysis and association, and the ability to set up hypotheses - and all these must be bolstered up by a wealth of accurate information and the use of good judgment. No limitation is set upon any subject; problems run into one another; they become intricate and interwoven, one throwing light upon the other. And there is a logic underlying this method of reasoning. It is the very same kind of logic which underlies any sort of scientific research, and by which one is enabled to form hypotheses, to test them and to formulate general laws. The Talmudic student approaches the study of texts in the same manner asthe scientist approaches the study of nature. Just as the scientist proceeds on the assumption that there is a uniformity and continuity in nature so the Talmudic student proceeds on the assumption that there is a uniformity and continuity in human reasoning. Now this method of text interpretation is sometimes derogatorily referred to asTalmudic quibbling or pilpul. In truth, it isnothing but the application of the scientific method to the study of texts.

http://ohr.edu/judaism/articles/talmud.htm

*1) Tannaim (tänä'im) [plural of Aramaic tanna,=one who studies or teaches], Jewish sages of the period from Rabbi Hillel (c. 2nd cent BCE) to the compilation of the Mishna (3rd century CE). They functioned as both scholars and teachers, educating those in the synagogues as well as in the academies. Their opinions are found either in the Mishna or as collected in the Tosefta. After the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple (A.D. 70), Rabbi Johannan ben Zakkai reconstituted the academy at Javneh (in Israel), where the work of the Tannaim flourished. The famous Rabbi Akiva ben Joseph was among their disciples. The final compilation and redaction of the opinions and rulings of the tannaim was carried out c.200 under the administration of Judah ha-Nasi and resulted in the Mishna, which is accorded canonical status and forms the basis for all subsequent rabbinic discussions. The Tannaim were succeeded by the Amoraim.

*2) Amoraim (ä'mōrä'im) [Heb. amar=to interpret], in Judaism, term referring to those scholars, predominantly at Caesarea and Tiberias in Palestine (c.A.D. 220–c.A.D. 375) and in Babylonia (c.A.D. 200–c.A.D. 500), who interpreted the Mishna and other Tannaitic collections . Serving as judges, communal administrators, teachers, and collectors of charity, they were responsive to contemporary problems. Working to supersede the Temple cult, they helped establish the ideal that all Jews should devote themselves to study of the Torah. Their discussions constitute the section of the Talmud known as the Gemara. In addition, they were responsible for much of the nonlegal or aggadic material that appears in the Talmud and in the Midrashim.

*3) Mishna (mish'nu) in Judaism, codified collection of Oral Law—legal interpretations of portions of the biblical books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy and other legal material. Together with the Gemara, or Amoraic commentary on the Mishna, it comprises the Talmud . Next to the Scriptures the Mishna is the basic textbook of Jewish life and thought, and is traditionally considered to be an integral part of the Torah revealed to Moses on Mount Sinai. The sifting and recording of the body of oral interpretations of biblical law was the work of the Tannaim, the final compilation being made during the rule of Judah ha-Nasii. The Mishna is divided into six Orders (i.e. Sedarim): Zeraim [seeds], laws pertaining to agriculture; Moed [seasons], laws concerning observation of the Sabbath and festivals; Nashim [women], laws regarding vows, marriage, and divorce; Nezikim [damages], laws concerning civil and criminal matters; Kodashim [holy things], laws regulating ritual slaughter, sacrifice, and holy objects; and Tohorot [purities], laws regarding ceremonial purity. Each Order is divided into tractates, which in turn are divided into chapters. These contain paragraphs called mishnayyot. The penultimate tractate of the fourth Order is called Avot or Pirke Avot [Ethics of the fathers], and unlike much of the rest of the Mishna consists of general moral and religious sayings. In addition to those rulings accepted as law, the Mishna records contrary opinions and discussions among the rabbis.

*4) Talmud (tăl'mud) [Aramaic from Heb.,=learning], in Judaism, vast compilation of the Oral Law with rabbinical elucidations, elaborations, and commentaries, in contradistinction to the Scriptures or Written Laws. The Talmud is the accepted authority for Orthodox Jews everywhere. Its two divisions are the Mishna or text of the Oral Law (in Hebrew) and the Gemara (in Aramaic), a commentary on the Mishna, which it supplements. The Mishna is divided into six Orders (Sedarim) and comprises 63 tractates (Massektoth), only 36 1/2 of which have a Gemara. The redaction of the Mishna was completed under the auspices of Juda ha-Nasi, c.C.E.. 200, who collected and codified the legal material that had accumulated through the exposition of the Law by the Scribes (Soferim), particularly Rabbis Hillel and Shammai, and its elaboration by the Tannaim of the 1st and 2nd cent. C.E., particularly Akiba ben Joseph. The Gemara developed out of the interpretations of the Mishna by the Amoraim . Both the Palestinian and Babylonian schools produced Talmuds, known respectively as the Talmud Yerushalmi (compiled c.5th cent. C.E.) and the Talmud Babli (c.6th cent. C.E.). The Babylonian Talmud is longer and more comprehensive and sophisticated than the Talmud Yerushalmi. It became the authoritative work due in part to the predominance of Babylonian Jewry and the decline of the Palestinian community by the year 1000. The Talmud touches on a wide range of subjects, offering information and comment on astronomy, geography, historical lore, domestic relations, and folklore. The legal sections of the Talmud are known as the Halakha; the poetical digressions, illustrating the application of religious and ethical principles through parables, legends, allegories, tales, and anecdotes, constitute the Aggada. In the Middle Ages there arose a vast literature of commentaries on the Gemara—commentaries on those commentaries—and responsa (questions and answers); Rashi was one of the best-known commentators, and his commentaries are included in standard editions of the Talmud.

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This gives the briefest description of the history, contents, purpose of and means of approach to the Talmud by the Jewish people.

This preceding forschbise (Yiddish: appetizer) on Talmud I find insufficient. And I acknowledge its complexity. It provides an intellectual perspective but not the spirit of Talmud. For this I find the following parable from, oddly enough, James Michener's The Source most enlightening:

Quote:

What is Talmud?


A Roman philosopher once asked a rabbi "What is Talmud?"

The rabbi answered "Let me explain. There were two men who were on a roof and they climbed down a chimney. One's face became dirty and the other's did not. Which one washed his face?"

"That's easy", said the philosopher, "the dirty one washes his face"

"No. The one with the clean face looked at his friend and thought his own face was dirty, so he washed, while the other one saw his friend's clean face and thought his face was clean, too, so he didn't wash."

"Then Talmud is reasoning"!

"No. Let me explain again. There were two men who were on a roof and they climbed down a chimney. One's face became dirty and the other's did not. Which one washed his face?""

"The one with the clean face, right?"

"Wrong! There was a mirror and the one with the dirty face saw himself and washed his face."

"Aha! Talmud is logic, then."

"Of course not! How could two people climb down a chimney and one get dirty and the other one not?"

"Oh, I see. It's all about common sense."

"You foolish man", said the rabbi, "of course it's possible if the first one brushes away all the dirt."

"Now I understand", said the philosopher. "The Talmud is all about getting at the basic facts."

"No", said the rabbi, "Nobody can ever brush away all the dirt and nobody can ever get all the basic facts."

"So what is Talmud?" asked the philosopher.

The Rabbi answered, "Talmud is about doing the best we can to uncover God's purpose in this world and find our role in it."


Respectfully,
History