What do you think?
Rate this book
THE BABYLONIAN TALMUD, ALL 20 VOLUMES
o 14 color illustrations, 2 black and white
o publisher's preface and an introduction by Gustav Karpeles
This edition is intended for modern readers. It consists of of twenty volumes, translated and edited by Michael Rodkinson and then revised and corrected by Dr Isaac M. Wise, founder of the Reform Jewish movement and President of the Hebrew Union College. The introduction, by Gustav Karpeles, is from the book "Jewish Literature and Other Essays".
The Babylonian Talmud (Oral Law) is the third edition of the Talmud. Regarded as the authoritative version, it is studied by Rabbis and other scholars. The Talmud, or (Oral Law) evolved over time. The first part of the Talmud (Oral Law) was recorded in the year 200 C.E. (A.D.). The Mishna, as it is called, explained the 613 commandments found in the Torah (Written Law, the first five books of the Bible, attributed to Moses). Later, rabbis added commentaries, known as Gemara.
The Talmud is a guide for living in accord with the Torah (Written Law). While the Torah codifies behaviors through the 613 commandments, the Talmud provides further discussion and the legal “how” to carry out the commandments.
It expands guidelines and provides clarification by establishing rituals, explains how to observe laws in the Torah, and interprets those laws so that they can be carried out in a humane way.
For ease of navigation through this massive work, we have added thousands of links. Each volume begins with a summary (explanatory remarks) followed by the linked table of contents for that volume. Then comes an introduction and a synopsis of that subject. The synopsis has links to Mishnas. Click on the Mishna and view that text followed by related Gemaras. Links from the Mishnas go back to the synopsis for that volume. Note that when the Mishna is not mentioned in the synopsis, there is no link back
o publisher's preface and an introduction by Gustav Karpeles
This edition is intended for modern readers. It consists of of twenty volumes, translated and edited by Michael Rodkinson and then revised and corrected by Dr Isaac M. Wise, founder of the Reform Jewish movement and President of the Hebrew Union College. The introduction, by Gustav Karpeles, is from the book "Jewish Literature and Other Essays".
The Babylonian Talmud (Oral Law) is the third edition of the Talmud. Regarded as the authoritative version, it is studied by Rabbis and other scholars. The Talmud, or (Oral Law) evolved over time. The first part of the Talmud (Oral Law) was recorded in the year 200 C.E. (A.D.). The Mishna, as it is called, explained the 613 commandments found in the Torah (Written Law, the first five books of the Bible, attributed to Moses). Later, rabbis added commentaries, known as Gemara.
The Talmud is a guide for living in accord with the Torah (Written Law). While the Torah codifies behaviors through the 613 commandments, the Talmud provides further discussion and the legal “how” to carry out the commandments.
It expands guidelines and provides clarification by establishing rituals, explains how to observe laws in the Torah, and interprets those laws so that they can be carried out in a humane way.
For ease of navigation through this massive work, we have added thousands of links. Each volume begins with a summary (explanatory remarks) followed by the linked table of contents for that volume. Then comes an introduction and a synopsis of that subject. The synopsis has links to Mishnas. Click on the Mishna and view that text followed by related Gemaras. Links from the Mishnas go back to the synopsis for that volume. Note that when the Mishna is not mentioned in the synopsis, there is no link back
5202 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2009
877 people are currently reading
379 people want to read
About the author
Michael Levi Rodkinson
396 books7 followersMichael Levi Rodkinson (1845–1904) was an American-Jewish publisher, known for being the first to translate the Babylonian Talmud to English.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 12, 2025
jesus christ loved hookers
May 12, 2020
This book, the Babylonian Talmud, I'd recommend this to anyone who's into religious texts, especially any of the Abrahamic religions. This is a treasure box and an absolute hoot as well! This pretty much even has internet forum flame wars in it from over a thousand years ago! My favorite sacred book, and I've read bunches.
I haven't actually read this exact edition, but they should be the one and the same.
I haven't actually read this exact edition, but they should be the one and the same.
February 10, 2021
The far more famous and extensively read of the two canon Talmuds (the other being the Jerusalem Talmud).
It was pretty interested, I only dipped in here and there. It is exciting historically as the foundation of 'literary criticism ' (unless you see Plato/Aristotle as starting that genre). It is however a bit like a really big HBO show: there are a lot of characters and internal references that are hard to grasp the meaning of unless you do a lot of external reading.
I am not religious even though I am a Jew, but if you ever have a few afternoons spare, once in your life dipping into Rabbinic Mishnah is probably worth it, there is a lot of quite fascinating historical things to oogle at in these texts.
It was pretty interested, I only dipped in here and there. It is exciting historically as the foundation of 'literary criticism ' (unless you see Plato/Aristotle as starting that genre). It is however a bit like a really big HBO show: there are a lot of characters and internal references that are hard to grasp the meaning of unless you do a lot of external reading.
I am not religious even though I am a Jew, but if you ever have a few afternoons spare, once in your life dipping into Rabbinic Mishnah is probably worth it, there is a lot of quite fascinating historical things to oogle at in these texts.
March 10, 2025
Took all of 2024, some very fun bits, some effective sleep aids. This might be THE great book with zero potential for film adaptation. I kept thinking about that the whole time, since I watched the Passion of the Christ near the beginning. Maybe a 12 Angry Men / Ace Attorney format with Yohanan / Akiva / the gang debating and some cutaway scenes. Excited to dive into the rabbinical literature after this. Would recommend to fellow seculars. The lawyerly engagement with God and moral codes is refreshing.
Read
March 27, 2021I'd our highs
March 12, 2022
I confess: this is over my head. I'd like to walk away now and rerurn witha teacher to guide me through this maze.
Read
May 24, 2025bad
May 29, 2025
Very cool!!! Super helpful
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews