The Wisdom of the Talmud: A Thousand Years of Jewish Thought

by Ben Zion Bokser

A fascinating and revelatory introduction to the Talmud discusses the Talmudic mind, its conceptions of God, and its thoughts on social ethics, personal morality, law, and general human wisdom. Original.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Judaica, Judaism, Theology

182 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Steven Bullmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much appreciated this book as it helped me move past my stereotypical view of Pharisees and Rabbis as narrow-minded egotistical, judgmental legalists. Turns out that's wrong. The Rabbis who contributed to the Talmud were intelligent, broad-minded, humble, creative, witty, and very much in tune with the whispers of the Holy Spirit. They did the best they could to interpret the Hebrew Bible in a way that works in the real life of their day and age and honored the God they served. By all Talmudic measures, they did a splendid job of it.
Rabbi Bosker especially helped me to appreciate how the rabbis embraced the reality that Scripture speaks a different word to different people at different times, and therefore a pluralistic approach to biblical interpretation is the best kind of exegesis. Put all the various best perspectives on a particular passage and let the reader sort it out for themselves. Truth is too big to be fully contained in one person's mind. Give a person all the perspectives and let them fashion a faith that fits their soul.

[Chronics · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful as a relatively brief overview of th Talmud and it core concepts, teachings and history. I'd consider a good introductory text whith enough information to go past the introductory level, but then I'm still learning, overall would recommend as good read especailly if you just want to know more about what the Talmud is and represents from the authors persepective.

[Orban · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice and easy reading with practical learnings

[Orban · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, light and interesting reading with practical learnings

[José Marcio da Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ler sobre as origens do Talmud, é ler sobre a história dos judeus em particular e sobre a história do mundo.
Fora a sabedoria consagrada pelo tempo.