A History of the Talmud

by David Kraemer

It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of the Talmud in Judaism and beyond. Yet its difficult language and its assumptions, so distant from modern sensibilities, render it inaccessible to most readers. In this volume, David C. Kraemer offers students of Judaism a sophisticated and accessible introduction to one of the religion's most important texts. Here, he brings together his expertise as a scholar of the Talmud and rabbinic Judaism with the lessons of his experience as director of one of the largest collections of rare Judaica in the world. Tracing the Talmud's origins and its often controversial status through history, he bases his work on the most recent historical and literary scholarship while making no assumptions concerning the reader's prior knowledge. Kraemer also examines the continuities and shifts of the Talmud over time and space. His work will provide scholars and students with an unprecedented understanding of one of the world's great classics and the spirit that animates it.

Genres: Judaism, History

304 pages, Hardcover

Published November 14, 2019

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Oral Torah (which contains the Mishnah and Talmud) is said to have been given to Moses at Sinai with the Written Torah. The actual process was far more complicated as David C. Kraemer, a professor of Talmud and rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary, notes in “A History of the Talmud” (Cambridge University Press). Kraemer believes that in order to understand Judaism one must understand the influence the Talmud has had on its development, especially in light of the way the ancient rabbis reconstructed the religion. He notes that “many of the observances and even beliefs of rabbinic Jews who lived just a century or two after would have been unrecognizable to Jews” who lived in biblical times. Looking at the development and influence of the Talmud from rabbinic to contemporary times, he also shows it was not inevitable that the Talmud would become what he calls “arguably the most influential text in Jewish history.”
See the rest of my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...

[Ben Rothke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few months ago, hundreds of thousands of people gathered around the world to celebrate the 13th Siyum HaShas of Daf Yomi.

Yet, for many of those who made their way through the 2,711 pages of the Babylonian Talmud, they may not know just how the Talmud originated and developed.

In “A History of the Talmud,” author David C. Kraemer provides the reader with an overview of the development of the Talmud Bavli.

An interesting observation Kraemer makes is that the 16th century, when the Talmud was being burned and banned, corresponded with a rise of interest in the Zohar, which offered a means to fill the gap with the absence of the Talmud.

While I have my disagreements with parts of the first half of the book, where Kraemer tries to underplay the importance of the rabbinate, the second half provides an excellent overview of the development of the Bavli and its impact.