塔木德故事集：認識猶太經典的哲人與浮生百態

Exploring Jewish Arts and Culture

by Joseph Skibell, 喬瑟夫．史奇貝 (中譯名), 郭騰傑 (Translator)

★華文世界第一本原典故事解析
★認識猶太哲人奇思妙想的奧秘世界

一個竊賊變成聖人，最後因一次羞辱而死亡；
一個智者燒毀自己的世界，卻是為了拯救它；
一個男人為了探索宇宙的起源，迷失自己的心智；
一個美麗女子對抗弟弟與丈夫的自尊，卻是為了保護他們的家人……

這些故事裡的聖賢、哲人，就算德性甚高，依舊會像常人般犯錯。
然而，一個人的缺點可能和其成就一樣有價值，甚至更有價值。

各界頂尖人士如愛因斯坦、巴菲特、洛克菲勒……等人齊聲推崇的《塔木德》，是無數人想一窺堂奧的猶太聖典。然而，《塔木德》厚達五千多頁，卷帙浩繁、內容複雜，若想逐字閱讀，對沒有受過學術訓練的讀者來說，無疑是個艱鉅的挑戰。
在本書中，作者另闢新徑，以敘事者的深刻洞察力爬梳了幾則耐人尋味的《塔木德》故事，聚焦於《塔木德》裡的傳奇拉比生活，從中擷取歷久彌新的思維。他將散佈在整部《塔木德》的一系列故事整合成連貫的敘述，以小說家的視角加以分析和解釋。
在作者的詮釋與個人讀法中，這神聖的文本經常違反傳統的虔誠觀念，這些故事有的狂野、有的粗魯、有的甚至帶有情欲色彩，但它們追求的是一種可持續的超越，也就是能夠融合塵世生活的平凡時刻與聖潔奇蹟的宇宙意識的一種方式。

作者在書中明辨這些故事的主題和思想脈絡，扮演銜接的橋樑，將《塔木德》的千年故事帶入現代生活，引領讀者進入這座數千年的古老智慧寶庫。

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Essays

226 pages, ebook

First published April 19, 2016

Reviews

[Anna]

Review forthcoming in Publishers Weekly. Novelist Skirbell offers up five essays, each a meditation on a particular story from the Talmud. Based on the introduction I was pretty excited about the idea of fanfic for the Talmud but this turned out to be more literary analysis and spiritual meditation than imaginative retelling of Talmudic parables. For those of us less familiar with the original corpus of texts upon which Skibell is reflecting, the essays wander to the point of confusion. But study groups looking for commentary that ties the personal and the present-day to these ancient texts may find them worthwhile to digest in reflective discussion.

[TT · Rating 5 out of 5]

這是近來讀到印象最深刻的一本書。
前面四個備忘錄(或前面四章)讓人覺得這些猶太人尊以為聖，並將他們的故事及傳說收錄在塔木德裡的拉比們，怎麼各個都怪誕不經，對聖經的研究的詮釋已經到了吹毛求疵，瘋狂的程度，這些人完全不可能活在世俗的社會裡。很難對他們有什麼好印象。第五章開始進入一種神秘主義的氛圍，這是我最喜歡的章節，在密契主義和二元性，Skibell 的文筆非常感性，像在讀一部優美的文學作品，他不愧是做藝術文學出身的，但我又同時懷疑是不是翻譯者翻譯得太感性，搞得我很想再重看一遍英文版。第五章讓我意猶未盡，可惜這是最後一章。

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting interpretations; I enjoyed reading this

[Michael Lewyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In five essays (why not six? Read the opening pages and find out), Skibell brings the rabbis of the Talmud to life, turning them from plaster saints to sages with very human weaknesses.

For example, one essay addresses four rabbis who have a mystical vision, one of whom (ben Azzai) dies. What's wrong with ben Azzai? Skibell examines other references to him in the Talmud, including a reference to his refusal to procreate, and suggests that he is one of these pious but impractical people who is "too busy receiving the Torah to live by its precepts." Since ben Azzai "has got one foot in the world to come already' it would make sense that he would enter that world at the slightest provocation.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is not for the casual reader. I think it requires some work to understand the stories that the author links together from the Mishna and Gemara of the Talmud. Interesting, but a little esoteric for me.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...

[The Jewish Book Council]

Review by Avraham Bronstein for the Jewish Book Council.