Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala
1901
Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala
1901
Here is a window into two millennia of Jewish thought, argument, and revelation. The Talmud, that towering monument of debate, comes alive not as sterile law but as fierce argument between sages across centuries - men wrestling with God, ethics, and the mechanics of daily life. This 1901 collection gathers English translations of the Talmud's ethical and narrative passages (the Aggada), selections from the Midrashim that breathe new life into Biblical stories, and glimpses into the mystical depths of the Kabbala. What emerges is a tradition that refused to be static: arguments are preserved, questions are honored, humor coexists with holiness. The translations capture something remarkable - the intellectual vitality of a civilization that preserved itself through learning and discussion, even as empires rose and fell around it. For readers curious about the foundations of Jewish thought, or anyone who believes ancient texts should argue back, this collection offers direct access to ideas that shaped a civilization.
Editions
X-Ray
“Do not be daunted by the insurmountability of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work but neither are you free to abandon it.””
— Unknown
“Not one single thing has God created in vain. He created the snail as a remedy for a blister; the fly for the sting of a wasp; the gnat for the bite of a serpent; the serpent itself for healing the itch (or the scab); and the lizard (or the spider) for the sting of a scorpion. Ibid., fol. 77. col. 2.””
— Unknown
“The Divine Law was revealed to Moses, not only through the Commands that were found written in the Bible, but also through all the later rules and regulations of post-exilic days. These additional laws it was presumed were handed down orally from Moses to Joshua, thence to the Prophets, and later still transmitted to the Scribes, and eventually to the Rabbis.””
— Unknown
“If the ox of an Israelite bruise the ox of a Gentile, the Israelite is exempt from paying damages; but should the ox of a Gentile bruise the ox of an Israelite, the Gentile is bound to recompense him in full.' -- , fol. 38, Col. 2"-- , page 31””
— Unknown
“If one find lost property in a locality where the majority are Israelites, he is bound to proclaim it; but he is not bound to do so if the majority be Gentiles.' -- , fol 24, col. 1"-- , page 31””
— Unknown
“When an Israelite and a Gentile have a lawsuit before thee, if thou canst, acquit the former according to the laws of Israel, and tell the latter such is our law; if thou canst get him off in accordance with Gentile law, do so, and say to the plaintiff such is your law; but if he cannot be acquitted according to either law, then bring forward adroit pretexts and secure his acquittal. These are the words of Rabbi Ishmael.””
— Unknown
“No deceased person is forgotten from the heart (of his relatives that survive him) till after twelve months, for it is said (Ps. xxxi. 12), "I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind; I am like a lost vessel" (which, as Rashi explains, is like all lost property, not thought of as lost for twelve months, for not till then is proclamation for it given up).””
— Unknown
“Ten are designated by the term Life or Living:”
— Unknown
“Ten times the Shechinah came down unto the world:”
— Unknown
