The Soul of the Mishna

by Yakov Nagen

As the foundational text of the Oral Torah, the Mishna is analyzed to understand Jewish law and the workings of the halakhic system. But, there is also an inner spirit to the work that often goes unnoticed, a profundity that provides important principles and insights for everyday life, such as those relating to God’s presence in the world, relationships between parents and children and between husbands and wives, social justice, the Temple, the Land of Israel, and more. The Soul of the Mishna looks at over two hundred mishnayot and identifies the fascinating literary devices used by the Sages to reveal the deeper meaning of the text. To bring the mishnayot closer to contemporary readers, Rabbi Nagen also interweaves personal reflections throughout his interpretations. The Soul of the Mishna is a profound, eye-opening, and soulful approach that will revolutionize the way you learn Mishna.

416 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2021

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Study is considered a spiritual practice in Judaism. Most people study either the biblical text (and the midrashic – rabbinic stories – about that text) or the Talmud. Since the Talmud includes much of the text that appears in the Mishna, fewer study the latter text on its own. That’s also partly because it’s not usually considered a spiritual text in the same way the other two major texts are. However, Rabbi Dr. Yakov Nagen, the senior rabbi at the Otniel Yeshiva in Israel and director of Ohr Torah Stone’s Beit Midrash for Judaim and Humanity, believes otherwise. That’s the premise of his work “The Soul of the Mishna” (Yeshivat Otniel/Maggid Books).
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/past...