Customer Reviews

Book of Legends/Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash

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One of the other reviewers on this website makes the bizarre and incorrect assertation that it is wrong to study aggadah (the non-legal sections of rabbinic works) without first mastering Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). This is ignorance of the highest order. Even if one were to adopt fundamentalist Orthodox Judaism, that comment is still wrong. In fact, orthodox Judaism explicitly teaches that one should astudy aggadah first, and then only learn Kabbalah after one is at least 40 years old.

Further, the previous reviewer incorrectly charged the editors with falsely mistranslation passages in order to please a certain point of view. This is pure fiction.

The fact is that the Jewish tradition has always held the aggadah in the highest esteem, and it is only among the post-16th century Ashkenazi Orthodox that we find it reduced to the pathetic state that is has been in. Fortunately, the editors of this compilation come to the resuce by presenting all the classic aggadic passages from the Mishna, both of the Talmuds (Yerushalmi and Bavli), and most of the major midrash compilations.

I cannot overemphasize the ease of use; any English speaker will find it extremely easy to look up any aggadic passage based on subject or verse. further, it is comprehensive beyond anything that I couldhave wished for. if you are secular, or religious Jew, this book is for you. If you a Reform Conservative or Modern Orthodox Jew, it is for you. If you are a gentile who wants to learn about Judaism, this is for you.

However, as the above reviewer demonstrates, if you are an uneducated religious fundamentalist, this book may not be to your liking.

Bialik's collection is a delight to read. Filled with stories that give insight into biblical stories and Jewish history, the contents of this book add tremendous texture to Torah discussion and participation in markers of the Jewish year and Jewish life. Each week I am excited to see what the Book of Legends might have to say about the Torah portion. Were the sages troubled by the same passages I was? Did they see something completely different? The Book of Legends is also great for browsing at random. Every time I open it I find something that makes me think, laugh, or pause and scratch my head. It is an excellent addition to a primarily English speaking Jew's library.

It is hard to believe that it was only so far back as 1908 that Russian poet Hayim Bialik and editor Yehoshua Ravnitsky put their heads together to create the Sefer Ha-Aggadah, a compendium of legends, history and lessons from the Talmud and the Midrash. Originally, in Hebrew (much of that translated from the Aramaic) it was finally translated into English by William Braude, appearing in 1992. Until that time, much of the material covered was only available to students of the Talmud, a loss to many generations of Jews as well as other of different faiths around the world.

Irreverently, I think of 'The Book of Legends' as the 'juicy parts' redaction of the some of the most important bodies of work in the Jewish faith. The Talmud is composed of both law and legend, and the stones of that law grind exceedingly fine. To be honest, I am much more drawn to the lore and legends; because I believe it is there that the true center of the Jewish spirit can be found. Whether it be the story of Solomon's struggles with demon kind, or the thoughts of the sages on the nature of God, this is the imagination and the heart of thousands of years of belief.

Am I exaggerating? I don't know. But this material has lived as oral tradition from generation to generation, and now we are able to hold it in printed form, simply to read or for research. Bialik and Ravnitsky put an immense effort into gather the material together from many diverse sources, and then managing to arrange it is such a fashion that it is accessible. The first parts are organized in accordance with Jewish biblical history, and then as the deeds of the Sages. Following sections turn to Israel's place in the world, the nature of God, man, his community and the world itself. This adds up to a mighty volume of over 800 large pages of small print.

I won't pretend that this is easy reading. Much is, but just as much contains the cryptic and dense style one would expect from material that has lived long as verbal tradition. But both the original compilers and the translator have done their utmost to bring much that was almost secret into the light. For me it contains the answers to many of the puzzles of Jewish history and belief. And a whole new set of questions to ask and think about. I hope it does the same for you.

No other collection of rabbinic writings concerning the sages, their ethics, and their stories reaches the breadth or depth of this collection. This book is not meant to be read cover to cover but to be perused and explored bit by bit. This reference work has endured for over 100 years as Sefer HaAggada in Hebrew and captures the same enduring quality in the English.

I recently heard something that bears repeating as it relates to this treasured book, Sefer Ha-Aggahah. It says, in the Christian tradition, that Jesus told parables to the masses so that the veiled, deeper truths about life would be revealed to those whom sought after it. Of course, the obvious inference is that one would have to know that there is something beyond stories that make them relevant. Judaism is magnificent because its tenets provoke research. It is a progressive, revelatory social document. Apart from the mystical elements of its semitic tongue, the stories, especially those collected by the editors, Hayim N. Bialik and Yehoshua H. Ravinitzky represent oftentimes contradictory versions from traditional accounts from the rabbis. This book, as some other reviewers have mentioned is a wonder to read. It is edited in such a way that it may be accessed by personalities or by subject. Although one should view these traditions as customs, it seems to fill many a void left by the writers of the Bible.

Bialik and Ravnitsky monumental editing work selected the aggadic or story portion of the Gemara, and organized them in accordance with themes. They succeed in making the Gemara come alive for many who would otherwise not know it. Their work came at a transition time when many Jews were leaving Traditional learning. Essentially Bialik had a program for educating Jews in the sources, in the Tradition so that they would be fully part of despite there not having learned in the Yeshiva world.
This English translation should widen the circle of those who study and learn this work. I would add that there is another English translation of parts of this work. It is done by my late teacher and friend Rabbi Chaim Pearl whose retelling of legends of the sages is unmatched in its clarity and insight.

In our overly scientific day and age, which has greatly influenced how we approach the Sacred, specifically Sacred texts, this book fills in the lacunae of the void.

In this book can be found the rabbinical answers to the nagging questions found in the Torah, questions that still linger today but which tend to be filled in with more historical/'scientific' answers than stories that lift the spirit. Are these stories to be found in this book 'true'? To ask the question misses the point. They elevate the spirit and lift us out of the mundane and bring back the art of telling the story to reveal deeper insights into the mysteries of life.

The rabbis were curious and inquisitive souls and what we have here is a compendium of the diverse answers they often gave. Some of the stories are fantastical, others whimsical and others simply bizarre, but they never cease to captivate and never cease to enlighten. A vital resource for any library.

This is a beautiful work of scholarship and literature. It is for those with spiritual/religious interests, especially Jewish, but not only Jewish. It presents the colorful and evocative stories of these ancient writings, without the theology or the commandments. Anyone who cares about myth and legend would find it deeply rewarding, I think. It is a touching and triumphant labor of love by the scholar who translated it into English.

Where has "legend" gone? Do you study the Scriptures? Do you study the Hebrew Scriptures? Are you able to draw out all the meaning you can? Do you know about the "Foundation Stone?" When does it first appear in God's creation? Where does it reappear in the Scriptures? Do you know what is the "navel of the world? Do you know the story behind it? Do you realize that if you did you could understand Israel and Jerusalem better?

These are "legends!" For centuries they provided a context in which the Torah and other Hebrew Scriptures could be taught orally. We know the story of Moses. At the "burning bush," Moses enters into a crucial moment in his life. He has undergone a purification. He no longer looks back at his mistakes and failures. He has gone through conversion. He has achieved a certain openness. He has a new understanding of God. Before, it was Moses who had things to do for God. Now, there is room for God to step in. Moses is now willing to let God take the initiative. Yet, he's fearful (a good sign-a God sign), but he is capable of letting God illuminate him and to use him as he wishes.

In, The Book of Legends/Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, the Rabbis show us that Moses has undergone a transformation. Not only this. For Christians, in fact, I am sure there is seen in it: a foretelling of the Parable of the Good Shepherd. This is legend! This is what it's all about: "`Now Moses was tending the flock' (Ex. 3:1). The Holy One tested Moses by means of the flock, as our masters explained: When Moses our teacher was tending Jethro's flock in the wilderness, a lamb scampered off, and Moses followed it, until it approached a shelter under a rock. As the lamb reached the shelter, it came upon a pool of water and stopped to drink. When Moses caught up with it, he said, "I did not know that you ran away because you were thirsty. Now you must be tired." So he hoisted the lamb on his shoulder and started walking back with it. The Holy One then said: Because you showed such compassion in tending the flock of a mortal, as you live, you shall become shepherd of Israel, the flock that is Mine."

It's a great collection of the wisdom of the Rabbis that touches various and multiple aspects of human life. It follows the format of the books of Scripture. It therefore doubles as a ready-made commentary, filled with riches in English that you may not find elsewhere. Once you begin, you may not want to study the Hebrew Scriptures any other way.

The price may seem steep. But it is well-made with a beautiful dust jacket which will stand out on you book shelves. It will probably last a lifetime, and then some.

FYI, on Wikipedia, I saw what they call "a modern folklorist's professional definition of legend" proposed by Timothy R. Tangherlini in 1990: Legend, typically, is a short (mono-) episodic, traditional, highly ecotypified historicized narrative performed in a conversational mode, reflecting on a psychological level a symbolic representation of folk belief and collective experiences and serving as a reaffirmation of commonly held values of the group to whose tradition it belongs."

This book is beyond amazing to me, a born again Christian. Although not "cannon" it gives serious and anecdotal factoids that are very, very interesting regarding Bible scripture. Certainly all believers would benefit from exposure to this infomation. For instance my reason for purchasing this book was to find out about the story of a Jewish woman and relative of Joseph, Serah, who reportedly lived from the time of Joseph until Moses was called by God to lead. And, that Moses' leadership was confirmed by certain information (password) only she knew.