Making Sense of the Talmud

We claim to believe in the Bible, but it seems to me that in reality we're controlled by a small group of old men and their Talmud...

In what way are the laws of the Talmud "the wisdom and will of G-d"? What's so "wise" about the how to divide a garment that two people are fighting over? Why G-d would "will" the procedures for buying a donkey?

Quantum logic helps explain a halachic ruling of Maimonides, a puzzling story of the Talmud, a Midrash about the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and a rabbinic teaching about the relationship between Torah and existence.

Why wasn’t it written in Hebrew, like the Bible and the Mishnah?

The Talmud has something to teach about just about everything. Here are some wise teachings that provide insight into yourself and the people around you.

Occasionally, the sages of the Talmud quote Jewish folk sayings which convey great depth and spiritual insight.

Culled from Talmud, Midrash, Zohar, and other sources, and translated into English, these pithy quotes have been grouped into categories for you to contemplate, internalize, and share.

A Siyum Hashas is the celebration held after one has completed learning the entire (Babylonian) Talmud.

The bulk of the Talmudic texts contain analysis of Biblical verses and Torah law, but it’s interspersed with everything from medical advice to stories, from folk sayings to fabric dying tips.

This commentary on the Mishnah is labeled “Gemara,” but this does not seem to have always been the case.

Talmudic is defined as “relating to Talmud,” the central repository of rabbinic tradition, law, and teaching.

It took over eight years, but I completed all 2,711 pages of the Babylonian Talmud.