What do you think?
Rate this book
The Talmud: Selections from the Contents of That Ancient Book, Its Commentaries, Teachings, Poetry and Legends: Also Brief Sketches of the Men Who Made and Commented upon It
The Talmud is one of the most important holy books of the Hebrew religion and of the world. No English translation of the book existed until the author presented this work. To this day, very little of the actual text seems available in English -- although we find many interpretive commentaries on what it is supposed to mean. The Talmud has a reputation for being long and difficult to digest, but Polano has taken what he believes to be the best material and put it into extremely readable form. As far as holy books of the world are concerned, it is on par with The Koran, The Bhagavad-Gita and, of course, The Bible, in importance. This clearly written edition will allow many to experience The Talmud who may have otherwise not had the chance.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1965
62 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 23, 2020
The Talmud by H Polano is a compilation of selections from that Ancient Book; it's commentaries, teachings, poetry and legends.
It is important reading for all Jews, but also a source of wisdom and insight for a gentile reader.
The section on Biblical History is quite fascinating, and includes a depth of detail, which we don't always come across in summaries of biblical events. For example we read of Enoch's ascent to heaven, how Abram - the father of the Jewish Nation- lived for a time with Noah, and a well-documented account of the rescue by Simeon and Levi, of their sister Dinah, and the age of deaths of all the sons of Jacob.
Unfortunately this does not encompass the entire Biblical history found in the Talmud, and it cuts off abruptly at parts, starting equally abruptly elsewhere.
For example, in discussing Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac, the book tells us how Isaac "stretched his neck to meet the knife which rested in his father's hand".
But leave out the appearance of the angel, and the trapping of the ram in the bush, simply continuing in a new paragraph: "and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burned-offering in the stead of his son."
Indeed it brings so much of the Bible to life as we remember such images as the little dark haired girl , Miriam , crouched in the bullrushes as she watches the cradle of her little brother Moses being discovered by the Pharaoh's daughter.
Then follows a section of 'Specimens of Biblical Commentaries'.
It gives the symbolism of the ten plagues and a beautiful account of 'The Book of Esther'which contains the valuable message " And further we degree that the Jews may arise and protect themselves , aye, and take vengeance on such as raise a bloody hand against them." May the enemies of Israel always perish and may Israel always arise and defend her children , and take bloody vengenance on all who try to harm her children.
Also contained in this volume van account of the wisdom of King Solomon.
Part Third is about the Rabbis, their teachings, and incidents in their lives, and Part Fourth: Proverbs and Sayings of the Rabbis, Legends etc , including some wonderful biblical fables like The Desert Island and The Emperor and the Aged Man.
Part Fifth includes a sketch of Criminal and Civil Law in Judaism, and information about the Jewish Holy Days.
While this is only extract from the Talmud, and not the entire momentous works thereof, it is an extremely inspiring and insightful book.
It is important reading for all Jews, but also a source of wisdom and insight for a gentile reader.
The section on Biblical History is quite fascinating, and includes a depth of detail, which we don't always come across in summaries of biblical events. For example we read of Enoch's ascent to heaven, how Abram - the father of the Jewish Nation- lived for a time with Noah, and a well-documented account of the rescue by Simeon and Levi, of their sister Dinah, and the age of deaths of all the sons of Jacob.
Unfortunately this does not encompass the entire Biblical history found in the Talmud, and it cuts off abruptly at parts, starting equally abruptly elsewhere.
For example, in discussing Abraham's intended sacrifice of Isaac, the book tells us how Isaac "stretched his neck to meet the knife which rested in his father's hand".
But leave out the appearance of the angel, and the trapping of the ram in the bush, simply continuing in a new paragraph: "and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burned-offering in the stead of his son."
Indeed it brings so much of the Bible to life as we remember such images as the little dark haired girl , Miriam , crouched in the bullrushes as she watches the cradle of her little brother Moses being discovered by the Pharaoh's daughter.
Then follows a section of 'Specimens of Biblical Commentaries'.
It gives the symbolism of the ten plagues and a beautiful account of 'The Book of Esther'which contains the valuable message " And further we degree that the Jews may arise and protect themselves , aye, and take vengeance on such as raise a bloody hand against them." May the enemies of Israel always perish and may Israel always arise and defend her children , and take bloody vengenance on all who try to harm her children.
Also contained in this volume van account of the wisdom of King Solomon.
Part Third is about the Rabbis, their teachings, and incidents in their lives, and Part Fourth: Proverbs and Sayings of the Rabbis, Legends etc , including some wonderful biblical fables like The Desert Island and The Emperor and the Aged Man.
Part Fifth includes a sketch of Criminal and Civil Law in Judaism, and information about the Jewish Holy Days.
While this is only extract from the Talmud, and not the entire momentous works thereof, it is an extremely inspiring and insightful book.
January 15, 2021
An interesting sampler of the Talmud. Worth reading for anyone interested in a solid, basic introduction Judaic scholarship.
What I found most interesting was the rendering of the Torah. Particularly, it filled in the timeline of what was happening with all of those long-lived people and how their lives overlapped. For example, Methuselah and Noah overlapped, but God had waited until Methuselah had died before sending the flood.
What I found most interesting was the rendering of the Torah. Particularly, it filled in the timeline of what was happening with all of those long-lived people and how their lives overlapped. For example, Methuselah and Noah overlapped, but God had waited until Methuselah had died before sending the flood.
April 5, 2021
An interesting introduction to portions of Talmud. It was fascinating to see how some of the teachings correlate with Christian doctrine and how other teachings are totally different.
January 5, 2024
This book must be a computer generated edition. A robot book.
I don’t know why I tried to read it twice. The typos are so distracting! It will not happen again.
One star is generous.
I don’t know why I tried to read it twice. The typos are so distracting! It will not happen again.
One star is generous.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews