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."
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The Book of Legends Sefer Ha-Aggadah: Legends from the Talmud and Midrash Hardcover
by
Hayim Nahman Bialik
(Editor),
Yehoshua Hana Ravnitzky
(Editor),
William G. Braude
(Translator)
&
0
more
A compilation of rabbinic legends grouped by such themes as biblical characters, God, good and evil, the human being and society, and nature
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSchocken Books
- ISBN-100805241507
- ISBN-13978-0805241501
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5 Stars
The folk lore of the folk belief in the Sacred Jewish tradition
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."
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Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2010
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."
5.0 out of 5 stars
The folk lore of the folk belief in the Sacred Jewish tradition
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2010
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?Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2010
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."
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2021
From first read to first glance, an enduring masterpiece. It is very clearly meant to be a national inheritance for the Jewish people, an expression of their spirit. Praise God for this Hebrew-English translation. Messianic Jews, pastors, etc will find incredible gems of wisdom in here like none other. How did Abraham first find God amongst rampant lawlessness/polytheism? Where did the replacement for Isaac's sacrifice truly come from? What is the cause of Moses' slow tongue? Why does God give wisdom to the wise and not to the foolish, shouldn't it be the other way around?
Not only, is this hardcover tome (as opposed to book) packed with the creative wisdom of the Jews and their quintessential spirit, it is aesthetically beautiful. In my eyes, it could easily serve as the centerpiece on a coffee table. So if you're reading this, you probably should purchase it; I wager it's meant for you. Because most people aren't going to click on this product even if it was the very first thing that came up in their search. I think it takes a certain kind of person to be even remotely interested in the Aggadah. And if you're on this page, chances are you're it.
Not only, is this hardcover tome (as opposed to book) packed with the creative wisdom of the Jews and their quintessential spirit, it is aesthetically beautiful. In my eyes, it could easily serve as the centerpiece on a coffee table. So if you're reading this, you probably should purchase it; I wager it's meant for you. Because most people aren't going to click on this product even if it was the very first thing that came up in their search. I think it takes a certain kind of person to be even remotely interested in the Aggadah. And if you're on this page, chances are you're it.
Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2023
Obeying,the Master of Universe is not a religion, it’s the law,this Book gives you the Legends that the religions removed
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2023
Great book.
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2014
Just about all early Jewish non-legal teachings come under the banner of Aggadah: `That which is told.' It originated from Rabbinic Judaism beginning several centuries before the Common Era and Christianity.
The Aggadah was very important to the Israelites. This is because it contains elaborations of Biblical (Old Testament) teachings. The Israelites believed it was crucial to study the Aggadah if you wished to understand the Bible and know God better.
The detailed records demonstrate just how intricate their knowledge was in almost every aspect of their beliefs. The records were conveyed orally and put into writing many hundreds of years after their origin.
This makes them hard to date. There are also variations and it is difficult to say which are the earlier ones. When they were finally written down, neither were they compiled into a single organized book. They were simply absorbed as explanations or supportive evidence to discussions in other Jewish writings such as the Talmud. In turn, the Talmud was complied in two editions: one in Israel and the other - later one - in Babylonia.
The authors of The Book of Legends choose the Babylonian Talmud as the main source of its Aggadah even though it is later and probably less original than the Israeli Talmud. Their reason is that the Babylonian Talmud is better known to the public. They intend to give modern, dispersed Jews an insight into their ancient beliefs and worldview.
This is a wonderful book, however, it is limited in its scope because it deliberately selects more from later Aggadah and promulgates the chosen views of the authors.
To this extent, I was disappointed by this book. Particularly since I was looking to study rabbinical beliefs about creation and the structure of the cosmos. Specifically, I needed to learn more about the mystical belief in seven earths and seven heavens constituting one cosmic unit. This belief is almost identical to that of ancient yogis in India. But nothing at all about the 14 realms of the cosmos is mentioned in this book. For this subject, I highly recommend Louis Ginzberg's The Legends of the Jews, Vol. I; also Angelo S. Rappoport, Myth and Legend of Ancient Israel, Vol. VI. The correspondences with ancient yoga beliefs are extraordinary.
Full disclosure: I am a peer-reviewed researcher on connections between ancient yoga and modern science, as well as between ancient yoga and the Bible. ~ Sanjay C Patel, SanjayCPatel.com
The Aggadah was very important to the Israelites. This is because it contains elaborations of Biblical (Old Testament) teachings. The Israelites believed it was crucial to study the Aggadah if you wished to understand the Bible and know God better.
The detailed records demonstrate just how intricate their knowledge was in almost every aspect of their beliefs. The records were conveyed orally and put into writing many hundreds of years after their origin.
This makes them hard to date. There are also variations and it is difficult to say which are the earlier ones. When they were finally written down, neither were they compiled into a single organized book. They were simply absorbed as explanations or supportive evidence to discussions in other Jewish writings such as the Talmud. In turn, the Talmud was complied in two editions: one in Israel and the other - later one - in Babylonia.
The authors of The Book of Legends choose the Babylonian Talmud as the main source of its Aggadah even though it is later and probably less original than the Israeli Talmud. Their reason is that the Babylonian Talmud is better known to the public. They intend to give modern, dispersed Jews an insight into their ancient beliefs and worldview.
This is a wonderful book, however, it is limited in its scope because it deliberately selects more from later Aggadah and promulgates the chosen views of the authors.
To this extent, I was disappointed by this book. Particularly since I was looking to study rabbinical beliefs about creation and the structure of the cosmos. Specifically, I needed to learn more about the mystical belief in seven earths and seven heavens constituting one cosmic unit. This belief is almost identical to that of ancient yogis in India. But nothing at all about the 14 realms of the cosmos is mentioned in this book. For this subject, I highly recommend Louis Ginzberg's The Legends of the Jews, Vol. I; also Angelo S. Rappoport, Myth and Legend of Ancient Israel, Vol. VI. The correspondences with ancient yoga beliefs are extraordinary.
Full disclosure: I am a peer-reviewed researcher on connections between ancient yoga and modern science, as well as between ancient yoga and the Bible. ~ Sanjay C Patel, SanjayCPatel.com
Top reviews from other countries
Gershom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb!
Reviewed in Japan on November 8, 2004
I recommend this book:
- Enjoyable content: Study and nicely written (nice translation)
- High Quality finition: Superb book (cover and paper quality)
=> This book is a reference that you (and your familly) will enjoy for a long time: A must to learn the "story" part of Talmud.
- Enjoyable content: Study and nicely written (nice translation)
- High Quality finition: Superb book (cover and paper quality)
=> This book is a reference that you (and your familly) will enjoy for a long time: A must to learn the "story" part of Talmud.
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