Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages [Paperback]

Abraham Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 1995

"To some readers of this book, the Talmud represents little more than a famous Jewish book. But people want to know about a book that, they are told, defines Judaism. Everyman's Talmud is the right place to begin not only to learn about Judaism in general but to meet the substance of the Talmud in particular. . . . In time to come, Cohen's book will find its companion-though I do not anticipate it will ever require a successor for what it accomplishes with elegance and intelligence: a systematic theology of the Talmud's Judaism."
--From the Foreword by Jacob Neusner

Long regarded as the classic introduction to the teachings of the Talmud, this comprehensive and masterly distillation summarizes the wisdom of the rabbinic sages on the dominant themes of Judaism: the doctrine of God; God and the universe; the soul and its destiny; prophesy and revelation; physical life; moral life and social living; law, ethics, and jurisprudence; legends and folk traditions; the Messiah and the world to come.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Talmud is among the great books of wisdom--like the Bible, the Quran, and the Bhagavad Gita--whose citation gives a speaker instant credibility. Also like the Bible, the Quran, and the Bhagavad Gita, the Talmud is a powerful source of allusion in large part even though so few people have really read it. People don't read the Talmud because they think it's inaccessible--the sprawling collection of rabbinic writings is added to in each generation, and its significance is nothing less than the summary of Judaism. The best guide to the Talmud's labyrinthine form is Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages--a monumental work of scholarly summary that describes all the basic doctrines of Judaism. Everyman's Talmud includes concise chapters on everything from sin to superstitions to a Jew's duty to animals. You probably won't be able to read it straight through--doctrine, even elegantly distilled, is hard to take in big doses--but you'll be led back to it again and again, by questions that arise in daily life, at dinner parties, and from the pages of the daily newspaper. --Michael Joseph Gross

From the Inside Flap

"To some readers of this book, the Talmud represents little more than a famous Jewish book. But people want to know about a book that, they are told, defines Judaism. Everyman's Talmud is the right place to begin not only to learn about Judaism in general but to meet the substance of the Talmud in particular. . . . In time to come, Cohen's book will find its companion-though I do not anticipate it will ever require a successor for what it accomplishes with elegance and intelligence: a systematic theology of the Talmud's Judaism."
--From the Foreword by Jacob Neusner

Long regarded as the classic introduction to the teachings of the Talmud, this comprehensive and masterly distillation summarizes the wisdom of the rabbinic sages on the dominant themes of Judaism: the doctrine of God; God and the universe; the soul and its destiny; prophesy and revelation; physical life; moral life and social living; law, ethics, and jurisprudence; legends and folk traditions; the Messiah and the world to come.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Schocken (February 7, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805210326
• ISBN-13: 978-0805210323
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Bible & Other Sacred Texts > Jewish Texts > Talmud

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 126 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A thorough introduction and summary, May 29, 2001

By 

John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages (Paperback)

Abraham Cohen's _Everyman's Talmud_ was the first complete English introduction to the Talmud when it was published in 1928. So far as I know, it has never been surpassed.

It is admirably thorough. In about 400 pages Rabbi Cohen hits all the major Talmudic themes: God and man, revelation, Jewish practice including ethics and jurisprudence. Filled with well-chosen quotations and explicated by Rabbi Cohen's crisp, scholarly expository prose, the volume is not at all a quick and easy read; you will want to take your time with this one. But your efforts will be well repaid.

Not that I'm an expert myself -- but if I had to pick just one introductory volume on the Talmud for those who simply want to know what it says, this would be it. Highly recommended as an overview of rabbinic theology. (My own copy is the 1967 edition, so I can't comment on Jacob Neusner's introduction.)

126 of 131 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Portal into the world of the Talmud, January 1, 2001

By 

Thomas J. Brucia "Tom B" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages (Paperback)

This book is a landmark - "a comprehensive survey of the doctrine of this important branch of Jewish literature... a summary of the teachings of the Talmud..." in the words of its author. Jacob Neusner's "foreword" describes it as the "first classic introduction of the Talmud to the English language." As Neusner states: "The greatness of Cohen for the beginner is that he tells us the single most important thing we can know about the Talmud, which is what it says." Abraham Cohen was born in 1887 and died in 1957. His work is a groundbreaking opus that was originally published in 1931; he revised it in 1948. (In 1931 the Talmud had not yet been translated into English!) Neusner's foreword, as well as Cohen's original 23-page introduction, are marvelous and deserve intensive re-reading. (Just one example of Cohen's support for the novice is his practice of defining words: e.g. Talmud = "study"; Halachah = "walking", the way of life to tread in conformity with the precepts of the Torah., and so on.) The only weak area in the foreword and introduction is that of history. (Here I found the perfect remedy: part 1 of Adin Steinsaltz's book `The Essential Talmud' - also available through amazon.com). Readers should be aware that Cohen's book is not organized as is the Talmud: you will NOT find the six orders (seder) divided into tractates (masekhet) and chapters (periqim). Instead he divides this great work into 11 chapters: (1) The Doctrine of God, (2) God and the Universe, (3) The Doctrine of Man, (4) Revelation, (5) Domestic Life, (6) Social Life, (7) The Moral Life, (8) The Physical Life, (9) Folk-Lore, (10) Jurisprudence, and (11) The Hereafter. ----- Those new to the Talmud should be advised that Talmud, which signifies "study," is devoted to the ORAL Torah (not The Bible, also referred to as TNK or Tanakh). The core of the ORAL Torah is the Mishnah, or codification of the Halachah, compiled by the Tannaim (scholars/teachers) beginning with R. Akiva and ending with R. Judah Ha-Nasi (who died in 217 C.E.). It was written in Hebrew. Somewhat later the Amoraim (interpreters/speakers/expounders) compiled The Talmudic commentaries. (In fact there are actually two Talmuds, the more prestigious Babylonian Talmud, and the less esteemed Palestinian Talmud, both written in dialects of Aramaic, the language of the people. R. Ravina completed the compilation of the Babylonian Talmud in 499 C.E.) A word of caution: the term Talmud refers to these two documents, which include both the Mishnah (corpus of oral law), and the Gemara (completion -- or commentary on the Mishnah) - but the term "Talmud" also can be used as a synonym for Gemara! (Like referring both to the white of an egg, and the whole ovoid package as "egg".) ------ As one might gather I found Cohen's book very informative. But like any summary, it mainly should serve as jumping off point to explore the original document(s). The Babylonian Talmud (available in at least two English translations) awaits me. Looks like a long journey!

54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important for Christians, January 22, 2003

By 

"sandrasstuff" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful introduction to the traditions of post exilic Judaic thought. It is divided into chapters that make sense (topically) to those of us not familiar with the Talmudic and Rabbinical writings themselves. Cohen covers all the most important traditional ideas from the Talmud, including mystical elements like folklore and magic. Contains an excellent index.

Christians will find this book very eye-opening in terms of understanding the New Testament, particularly with regard to discussions in the NT about the traditions of men. It also includes a thorough history of the names and dates and key players in the development of modern Judaism. It helped me separate the facts from the theories. Be sure to read all the front matter: the foreword, the preface by Cohen, and the introduction. If you don't, you will not fully appreciate the contents in the remaining chapters.