Sacred texts are essential for scholars or even the common person to gain knowledge about the foundation that a specific religion is built upon. For the religion of Judaism, the Jewish community relies heavily on the sacred text of the Torah, which can be considered as their guide through life; the Jews follow the Torah as their covenant or connect to Yahweh. However, another book has also emerged from Judaism that traditionally holds great meaning, but has lost prestige, called The Talmud or The Oral law. The Talmud is traditionally known for containing a variety of religious laws, folktales, and guidance through a balanced life all condensed into a one script; this causes the book to not be ideal for most people because of the rigorous challenges of studying involved. While considered out dated and irrelevant today, the Talmud is look upon as undervalued, but is essential for Jewish faith.
The Talmud came about in the Middle Ages, facing constant revile and rejection along with Judaism. In the beginning, the stories and religious laws that make up the text were not in written form, but passed down orally from generation to generation, thus the name The Oral Law. To understand the historical and modern day importance of the Talmud, a person must know what exactly the text is considered to be. In the book, The Essential Talmud, Adin Steinsaltz states, “If the Bible is the cornerstone of Judaism, then the Talmud is the central pillar, soaring up from the foundations and supporting the entire spiritual and intellectual edifice” (3). For the Jewish culture, this book represents the historical significance of the interpretation of the oral law given to Moses by God, so that Moses may extend knowledge on how to follow the teachings a...
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...the most common person, Jewish or not, to learn and take away a greater understanding from the arguments within the volumes. The book is not limited on laws nor is it limited on the person; the purpose and what gives this historical text such great value is how essential the Talmud is to the Jewish faith in order to clarify the Torah, and the connection that is created from the spiritual world to the real world. Centuries may pass, but wisdom carries on. No matter who the person is, dig deep enough into the Talmud, and the answers to the universe may be revealed
Works Cited
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Parry, Aaron. The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Talmud. Indianapolis, IN: Alpha, 2004. Print.
Steinsaltz, Adin. The Essential Talmud. New York: Basic, 1976. Print.
Oxtoby, Willard Gurdon. "Jewish Traditions." World religions: western traditions. 1996. Reprint. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2011. 127-157. Print.
Neusner, Jacob. The Talmud of the Land of Israel: An Academic Commentary to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Divisions, Atlanta: Scholar’s Press, 1998.
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In Judaism, there is the Torah and then there is the Oral Law. The Torah is the written scriptures and laws of the Judaic people. The Oral Law came as a parallel to the Torah. It was law as passed down orally through tradition. It was forbidden to write down the Oral Law. The Pharisees had a strong sense of superiority to peoples and Judaic sects that didn't abide by the laws of the Torah and Oral Law. Many of their neighboring peoples, they considered heathen nations. They were taught to maintain an absolute...
Robinson, B. A. (2008, March 30). Books of the Hebrew Scripture . Retrieved May 7, 2011, from Religious Tolerance: http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_otb3.htm
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