Overview

The Talmud chronicles the early development of rabbinic Judaism through the writings and commentaries of the rabbis whose teachings form its foundation. However, this key religious text is expansive, consisting of 63 books containing extensive discussions and interpretations of the Mishnah accumulated over several centuries. Sifting through the huge number of names mentioned in the Talmud to find information about one figure can be tedious and time-consuming, and most reference guides either provide only brief, unhelpful entries on every rabbi, including minor figures, or are so extensive that they can be more intimidating than the original text. In Essential Figures in the Talmud, Dr. Ronald L. Eisenberg explains the importance of the more than 250 figures who are most vital to an understanding and appreciation of Talmudic texts. This valuable reference guide consists of short biographies illustrating the significance of these figures while explaining their points of view with numerous quotations from rabbinic literature. Taking material from the vast expanse of the Talmud and Midrash, this book demonstrates the broad interests of the rabbis whose writings are the foundation of rabbinic Judaism. Both religious studies and rabbinical students and casual readers of the Talmud will benefit from the comprehensive entries on the most-frequently discussed rabbis and will gain valuable insights from this reader-friendly text. Complete in a single volume, this guide strikes a satisfying balance between the sparse, uninformative books and comprehensive but overly complex references that are currently the only places for inquisitive Talmud readers to turn. For any reader who wishes to gain a better understanding of Talmudic literature, Eisenberg’s text is just as “essential” as the figures listed within.

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Reviews

Although Essential Figures in the Bible and Essential Figures in the Talmud were not published as a set, they complement one another nicely....The Talmud is the masterwork of rabbinic Judaism, comprised of the Mishnah-a written compilation of rabbinic oral commentaries and discussions on the first five books of the Hebrew Bible-and the Gemarra, a rabbinic commentary on the Mishnah. Eisenberg's handy volume brings together information on more than 250 of the more than 2,000 rabbis and scholars mentioned in the Talmud. Entries usually include passages from the Talmud that nicely introduce the wisdom of these Jewish sages in their own words. These A-Z volumes are concise and informative and are recommended for theological and research libraries as well as academic and large public libraries with extensive Judaica collections. * Booklist * The Talmud has been compared to an ocean that is most difficult to navigate. This handy reference book provides short biographies of all the key scholars of the Talmud, including those of the Mishnah and the Gemara and of both the Babylonian and the Jerusalem Talmuds. As such, it is an invaluable tool for anyone who studies a page of Gemara, which inevitably will make mention of one or more such scholars and will necessitate a biographical reference to such luminaries as Hillel or Akiva, or the hundreds of other less known rabbinical scholars. Written in clear, easily understood language, Essential Figures in the Talmud is a book that will greatly facilitate the understanding of Judaism's law and lore. -- Mordecai Schreiber, author of Hearing the Voice of God: In Search of Prophecy

Although Essential Figures in the Bible and Essential Figures in the Talmud were not published as a set, they complement one another nicely...The Talmud is the masterwork of rabbinic Judaism, comprised of the Mishnah-a written compilation of rabbinic oral commentaries and discussions on the first five books of the Hebrew Bible-and the Gemarra, a rabbinic commentary on the Mishnah. Eisenberg's handy volume brings together information on more than 250 of the more than 2,000 rabbis and scholars mentioned in the Talmud. Entries usually include passages from the Talmud that nicely introduce the wisdom of these Jewish sages in their own words. These A-Z volumes are concise and informative and are recommended for theological and research libraries as well as academic and large public libraries with extensive Judaica collections. Booklist The Talmud has been compared to an ocean that is most difficult to navigate. This handy reference book provides short biographies of all the key scholars of the Talmud, including those of the Mishnah and the Gemara and of both the Babylonian and the Jerusalem Talmuds. As such, it is an invaluable tool for anyone who studies a page of Gemara, which inevitably will make mention of one or more such scholars and will necessitate a biographical reference to such luminaries as Hillel or Akiva, or the hundreds of other less known rabbinical scholars. Written in clear, easily understood language, Essential Figures in the Talmud is a book that will greatly facilitate the understanding of Judaism's law and lore. -- Mordecai Schreiber, author of The Man Who Knew God: Decoding Jeremiah, editor of The Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia

The Talmud has been compared to an ocean that is most difficult to navigate. This handy reference book provides short biographies of all the key scholars of the Talmud, including those of the Mishnah and the Gemara and of both the Babylonian and the Jerusalem Talmuds. As such, it is an invaluable tool for anyone who studies a page of Gemara, which inevitably will make mention of one or more such scholars and will necessitate a biographical reference to such luminaries as Hillel or Akiva, or the hundreds of other less known rabbinical scholars. Written in clear, easily understood language, Essential Figures in the Talmud is a book that will greatly facilitate the understanding of Judaism's law and lore. -- Mordecai Schreiber, author of The Man Who Knew God: Decoding Jeremiah, editor of The Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia

Author Information

Ronald L. Eisenberg is a Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and on the faculty at Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston. Dr. Eisenberg has been awarded Masters and Doctoral degrees in Jewish Studies from Spertus Institute in Chicago and has published six critically acclaimed books on Jewish topics, including The Jewish World in Stamps (Schreiber, 2003), The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions (Jewish Publication Society, 2004), The 613 Mitzvot (Schreiber, 2005), Dictionary of Jewish Terms (Schreiber, 2008), and What the Rabbis Said (Praeger, 2010). He has authored more than 20 books in his medical specialty and is also a non-practicing attorney.

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