Ein Yaakov: The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings of the Talmud

by Avraham Yaakov Finkel, Yaakov ibn Rabbi Chaviv (Contributor)

This is the only complete English translation of the classic Jewish text known as Ein Yaakov .

Ein Yaakov is a collection of all the agaddah (the non-legal) material of the Talmud, compiled by Rabbi Yaakov ibn Chaviv, the fifteenth century talmudist. Scattered among the more than 2,700 pages of the Talmud, aggadah focuses on the ethical and inspirational aspects of the Torah way of life. Through a wealth of homilies, anecdotes, allegories, pithy sayings, and interpretations of biblical verses, it has been said that the aggadah brings you closer to God and his Torah.

824 pages, Hardcover

First published August 28, 1999

Reviews

[T · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who want to grasp the “spirit” of rabbinic Judaism without investing hundreds (or thousands) of dollars, or the countless hours required to study the full Talmud this single-volume work is an excellent alternative. In short, it gathers the narrative material of the Talmud, including its legal discussions, ethical reflections, folklore, and other anecdotes (some of which are even humorous) While the binding leaves something to be desired and the book is not inexpensive, I rate based off its contents. (Note: I have not it read it cover-to-cover)