Abraham Cohen, Everyman’s Talmud



Abraham Cohen, Everyman’s Talmud

Reading Guide

Table of Contents.

Introduction

1. The Doctrine of God

2. God and the Universe

3. The Doctrine of Man

4. Revelation

5. Domestic Life

6. Social Life

7. The Moral Life

8. The Physical Life

9. Folk-Lore

10. Jurisprudence

11. The Hereafter

Introduction

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Pentateuch

sopher

midrash

Great Assembly

Hasmoneans

Sanhedrin

zugoth - “pairs”

tannaim

nasi

Gemara

agaddah (haggadah)

halachah

Midrash Rabbah

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Ezekiel

Ezra

Hillel

Shammai

Jochanan ben Zakkai

Rabbi Ishmael b. Elisha

Rabbi Akiva b. Yoseph

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Yavneh (Jabneh)

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What key events happened in 722 BCE and in 586 BCE that changed the destiny of the Jewish people? Which is associated with the “lost tribes of Israel”?

How did the exiles in Babylon attempt to avoid the loss of all of Israel? Does the author take a stance on whether the Pentateuch comes from Moses? What major Jewish institution, today at the center of Jewish life, may have originated in the Babylonian exile? What were the two major functions of that institution. Who is viewed as the second Moses in Jewish history?

Some religious leaders would want all Jews to be concentrated in one place and segregated from the outside world, to maintain a godly life. Since they are not, what is the vehicle of unity as a people and isolation from the rest of the world? Jews would be segregated from their neighbors not only by a ______ but also by a _________.

Today the reading of the Torah is the central act in Jewish Sabbath worship. When did this practice begin? What controversy surrounds the Great Assembly? There is a period of obscurity in Jewish history, no written history, between the time of Ezra, in the _____ century BCE and the time of the Maccabee / Chanukah events, in the _______ century BCE.

Rabbis construct additional precautionary religious measures which go beyond the letter of what the Torah commands. When they do this, they are said to be __________ the Torah.

If it ever really existed, the Great Assembly had ceased to exist by the end of the _____ century. Its authority was replaced by a senate-like assembly called the ______. A split occurred between the Jerusalem priests and the laity. Which favored compromise with Hellenistic culture? The other resisted assimilation under the leadership of the _______. From the tension between these two orientations arose the distinction between Sadducees and Pharisees. The major difference was that the ________ rejected oral traditions, but the _______accepted them. The Talmud is a product of the triumph of belief in the _______. The Talmud’s fundamental premise is that the __________ is based on, though partially hidden in, the ______, and that what is hidden must be brought out.

Who was Hillel and what was his reaction when a literal command of the Torah conflicted with the realities of present-day life?

The Torah says that loans to fellow Jews have to be forgiven every seventh year. This reflects a society in which Jews were principally engaged in ________ , but is impractical when ______ becomes an important mainstay. Hillel found a “loophole” in the wording of the Torah, and decreed that a creditor could still collect his debt from a fellow-Jew after the seventh year if the creditor _________.

What is the difference between Hillel and Shammai, and whose teachings are followed?

A famous rabbi, _________, wanted the Jews to surrender to the emperor ________, who was attacking Jerusalem. He escaped from besieged Jerusalem in a ______. He asked the emperor to spare the Academy at _______, which replaced Jerusalem as the center of Jewish authority.

The Sadducees disappeared from Jewish history after the destruction of the Temple. Why?

The Mishnah is the compilation of the Oral Torah, organized by topic rather than by book of the Torah, terminated around the year 200 under the authority of _______, who is viewed as the “master builder” of the Mishnah. But the groundwork had been laid by Rabbi _______ more than half a century earlier, who was the first to organize the Oral Torah into “a series of (logically organized) rings”, and who is considered the “architect” of the Mishnah.

The term “Mishnah” is related to the Hebrew verb which means to ________.

The Mishnah is divided into 6 _______. These are subdivided into a total of 63 ______, which in turn are subdivided into ________ and then _______.

The purpose in committing the Mishnah to writing was not to ___ the Law, but rather to ________. Are differences of opinion included in the Mishnah? Those who commented on the Mishnah, and whose commentaries are included in the Gemara, are referred to as ______. The worked in four academies in Galilee in Northern Palestine, and three academies outside of Palestine in _______

The combination of the ______ and the _______ is referred to as the Talmud. Two different Talmuds were produced, referred to in the text as the _______ and the ______. Which is longer? Which has more authority? The Mishnah itself is written in which language? The Gemara is written in two different dialects of _______.

Somebody writing a college paper in the style of the Talmud would probably get a failing grade on the paper. Why?

The Talmud has two types of text, commonly called halachah and aggadah (or hagaddah in Cohen’s text). The word halachah refers to _______, and comes from a Hebrew verb meaning to _____. The word aggadah refers to those parts of the Talmud which contain _________. Are rabbinic opinions concerning halachah and aggadah equally binding on Jews?

The English world “Paradise” comes from a Persian word pardes, related to the concept of a lushly planted and carefully tended garden. In Hebrew the word pardes is rendered with four consonants, P R D S. Each of these consonants has come to refer to a different “level” of the Torah. The Torah can be read and interpreted at all four levels by those qualified to do so. Know the four English terms for the four levels.

In addition to Torah readings, on special festive occasions during the year there will be readings of five different ____________ that are part of the Tanakh but not of the Torah.

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Chapter 1: The Doctrine of God

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Chapter 2: God and the Universe

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Chapter 3: The Doctrine of Man

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Chapter 4: Revelation

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pirke avot Gehinnom mezzuzah tefilin

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In rabbinic belief, God spoke through _______. (The Talmud refers to God’s shechinah overshadowing such people – a special illuminating presence of God.) The first quote of the Talmud (p. 121) uses the name of God Haqodesh Baruch Hu (in Hebrew). What is the English rendition of this common Talmudic way of referring to God? What special moral, physical, and social characteristics must a man have before God will choose him as a prophet? (Note: the discussion here concerns male prophets.) What will make a prophet lose his power?

Does a man have to be Jewish to receive the gift of prophecy? God sent Moses to the Jews and ______ to the Gentiles. Examine the metaphors of a curtain and a concubine. Is the Talmud egalitarian in its approach to non-Jews?

Who is the greatest prophet in Israel? How does he relate to other prophets? Including the Patriarchs, how many prophets did Israel have? How many of them were women? Some prophets had greater gifts than others. Which prophet spoke only two verses, which were incorporated into the writings of another prophet?

There are no more prophets among Jews. When did Prophecy cease? Divine inspiration was removed from prophets and given to _______.

What was the central message of the Prophets? The Talmud talks frequently of the Hereafter, referred to in Hebrew as ha’olam haba. What is the English expression used? In the Hereafter it is believed that all ________ will have the spirit of prophecy.

The Torah is viewed as a source of hidden treasures which must be excavated by the Rabbis. Examine the citations from the Mishnaic tractate Pirke Avot (Sayings of the Fathers, p. 125 ff.) The best use to which you can put your house is ______. People are warned that men who talk much with women will inherit ________. What is said of Jewish men who do not study the Torah? Today many men, especially in Israel, spend all their time in Torah study, subsidized by the government. What does pirke avot say about that. Note how passage after passage cites Torah study as the supreme religious duty of the Jewish male. Should it be done in expectation of a reward? What is supposed to happen during meals? If you are studying Torah, and you notice a beautiful tree, what are you supposed to do?

What is more important: fear of God or knowledge of Torah? What is more important: good deeds or knowledge of Torah? What is more important: knowledge of science or knowledge of the meticulous commands of Torah? Can a Torah teacher charge for his services, according to the passages? Can a person study Torah by himself?

Jewish boys begin studying the Written Torah, then the Mishnah, then the Talmud. At what age is each transition to occur. A bat kol is an angelic voice from heaven. What does a bat kol yell from Mt. Sinai every morning. What is the ideal life style (food, drink, sleep) for the Torah scholar? What are the five possessions of God which he most cherishes.

According to the Rabbis, when was the Torah created? There are two opinions. Note the anthropomorphisms used in describing the creation of the Torah. Who wrote the Torah? Where was it kept before the world was created? What will happen to the world if the Jews do not accept the Torah? If an unworthy person studies Torah, what does the Torah become? To which fruit is the Torah compared? Why?

To what liquids is the Torah compared?

Christianity says that another revelation came after the revelation on Sinai. What Scriptural passage does the Talmud cite to dispute that.

A debate is cited between Rabbi Tarpon and Rabbi Akiva: what is more important: studying the Torah or putting the Torah into practice? What was the rabbinic consensus? Take the case of two hypothetical individuals. One observes the dietary laws and Sabbath but but fails to study Torah. Another studies Torah but violates the dietary laws and Sabbath. Which will be punished more?

At what time of day is it permitted to put aside Torah study and study Greek philosophy (i.e. secular studies)?

An account is given (pp. 136 f.) of three men who died, a poor man, a rich man, and a wicked man. Where do people go immediately after death? What sin are the three accused of?

In Pirke Avot we have seen a condemnation of full time Torah study without earning a living. Furthermore the commandment in the Shma :”and you will harvest your wheat (corn) “ seems to argue for farming activities. But on p. 137 a counter argument is given. How can a full time Torah scholar harvest his wheat? Nonetheless the prevailing Rabbinic opinion is that Torah study should be combined with a livelihood.

There are wealthy men who study no Torah but spend all their time in business. There is a common matrimonial practice by which they can serve the Torah. What is it?

Teachers of Torah have a high status in the religious community. If you teach someoneTorah, you are compared to ______.

According to the Talmud there are _____ books in the Tanakh. They are divided into three sections: Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim. What does Cohen call these in English? According to rabbinic tradition, were the five books always combined into one scroll? According to Talmudic tradition, Moses wrote not only the Pentateuch but also ______ and ____. Who wrote the passages at the end of Deuteronomy that record Moses’ death?

What is meant by the statement “All Scriptures defile the hands.” ? There are two books currently in the Hebrew Bible that at first were rejected by many rabbis? Which? The Song of Songs is an erotic Hebrew love song. At first rejected by certain rabbis, it was incorporated into the Canon because it came to be seen as an allegory of ____________. There is one book now in the Bible which certain Rabbis claim is a pure allegory; that the hero didn’t exist and the events didn’t happen. Which book? One of the prophetic books had a hard time making it into the Canon. Which one? Why? The matter was settled when God himself declared that he had given ____ books.

It is said that every word of the Pentateuch is divinely inspired. What will happen to someone who says that the Torah is not from heaven?

Rabbinic tradition says that the Oral Torah was given to Israel on ________. The Talmud alludes to 42 commandments “given at Sinai” that are not mentioned in the Torah. What does that indicate? Does Judaism believe in “dual revelation”?

Why, according to the Rabbis, did God give two Torahs – a written and oral – instead of commiting everything to writing from the beginning? Who were the Ishmaelites

Outsiders, particularly certain Christian critics of Judaism, claim that the Talmud entraps Jews in sterile legalism. On the contrary, study of Torah when done correctly produces two strong emotions. Which? The Torah, far from being seen as a burden, is seen as God’s greatest gift to Israel, given to no other nation. The Talmudic expression of gratitude for the Torah (p. 150) has become a prayer in the daily liturgy.

There are three commandments in particular whose function is to visually remind Jews of the presence of God. Which? Know the structure of a mezzuzah. Where is it nailed? The mezzuzah was originally meant to serve as a reminder of God. But it eventually became __________. Know the structure of tefilin. Know the verse Deuteronomy 6:8 that they obey. What is the purpose of wearing fringes on the garment? Cohen says that the mezzuzah and the fringes have come to have a superstitious function. To what is he referring?

In Talmudic tradition God had a special gift stored in his treasury that he wanted to give to Jews alone. It was part of the Torah but not the Torah itself. What was this special gift? Does the outside world view it as a gift?

There are three special practices which are supposed to symbolize the joyful nature of Sabbath. What are they? The Sabbath is called by two female metaphors. Which?

In Temple Judaism the Temple and its animal sacrifice was the principal place where “Israel obtained……” With the destruction of the Temple, there was an increasing frequency of statements attributed to God that animal sacrifice is really less important than other factors. What are some of these other factors presumably more pleasing to God than animal sacrifice.

The Talmud is the embodiment of the transformation that came over Judaism with the destruction of the Temple and the sacrifical rituals.

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Chapter 5: Domestic Life

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Chapter 6: Social Life

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Chapter 7: The Moral Life

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Chapter 8: The Physical Life

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Chapter 9: Folk-Lore

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Chapter 10: Jurisprudence

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Chapter 11: The Hereafter

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