Adin SteinsaltzBesprekingen
Auteur van The Essential Talmud
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Koren Talmud Bavli, English, Complete 42 Volume Set… door Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz
But, Jewish law is still an instructive topic. In a sense, it’s more like the modern civilization of science than Christianity is, arguably, even if science isn’t Jewish in any particular way (and Yiddishkeit is very particular, of course, very specific). Instead of consisting of abstractions about philosophy and one or two core principles, or abstractions about love or a particular divine Teacher to learn to love from, Judaism, especially in the crucial sense of Jewish law, basically consists of the particular, the specific rules and standards people should adhere to according to religion in all of the many many concrete situations of life, not unlike our practical scientific civilization, which cares more about results than anything else, either for worse or possibly for better at times…. Of course, traditional Orthodox Judaism, of which Adin is an adherent, has some problems common with other pre-modern cultures, not least the separated condition of women, which poses a real difficulty and should not simply be glossed over as it is in most of the old books. Still, Jewish law does provide a good counter-example to the idea that religion is ‘stupid’, unreasoned, not like science in any way. And hopefully there will always be Jewish women and men, in all of the centuries of the future times of Earth.
R' Steinsaltz is an Orthodox rabbi who has made it his life's work to open up the Talmud, and is writing from that perspective rather than a secular academic one, but he acknowledges historical sources and credits them when they contradict certain details in the Talmud itself. I'd say it's best for someone who wants this specific perspective, but it's a useful one.
> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Steinsaltz-Introduction-a-lesprit-des-fetes-juive...
> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Steinsaltz-Introduction-a-la-priere-juive/278141
> BAnQ (LVS la voix sépharade, juin 2011) : https://collections.banq.qc.ca/ark:/52327/2688886
> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Steinsaltz-Introduction-au-Talmud/433971
> Adin Steinsaltz, INTRODUCTION AU TALMUD, Albin Michel, coll. « Présences du judaïsme », 326 pages. — LE TALMUD, c’est cette autre bible du judaïsme qui doit transmettre la loi de la bouche, la loi orale, Torah chébeal pé. C’est à partir de ce texte essentiel que les juifs interprètent les Écritures, qu’ils suivent des règles de vie et comprennent la Révélation. Le rabbin Adin Steinsaltz explique ce texte et relate ses nombreuses transformations. (Guy FERLAND)
—Le devoir, 22 août 1987, C8 : https://collections.banq.qc.ca/ark:/52327/2763935
> LA ROSE AUX TREIZE PÉTALES, d'Adin Sleisaltz. — Parfaite introduction à la Kabbale et au judaïsme : “Quels que soient les liens qui l’unissent soit à la source suprême, soit aux autres âmes, chaque âme reste cependant unique, tant du point de vue de son essence et de ses possibilités, que des fins qui sont exigées d’elle.” Éd. Albin Michel (Albert SARALLIER)
—Clés, (12), (Juillet-Août 1990), p. 47
> LA ROSE AUX TREIZE PÉTALES Introduction à la cabbale et au judaïsme, de Adin Steinsaltz. — Devenu célèbre dans le monde entier par sa nouvelle édition du Talmud de Babylone, le rabbin Steinsaltz nous introduit dans l’univers mystérieux de la mystique juive et nous livre les clés fondamentales de la Cabbale qui, audelà de son apparente complexité, exprime en langage symbolique l’essentiel de la quête de Dieu. Albin Michel, 2002 (Spiritualités Vivantes)
Eve: "The idea of creation as separation recurs both in the scriptures themselves and, afterward, throughout Jewish literature. [p. 5]
"In effect, every wedding is a return to the primordial state of Adam and Eve." [p. 7]
"The story of the theophany at Sinai, which in its inward form, describing the 'creation' of Israel, recapitulates the story of Adam's creation, is nonetheless essentially a reversal of the expulsion from Eden. [p. 7]
"The incident of the Tree of Knowledge turns, after all, partly on the arousal of curiosity. [p. 8]
Samuel: quoting Psalm 99:6, "a statement that has led the sages to conclude that Samuel was equal in eminence to Moses and Aaron." [p.127]
Saul: "With penetrating psychological insight, the sages have noted, concerning Saul's straightforward character, that he who is merciful to the cruel will end up being cruel to the merciful. [p 141]
Comparing Saul and David: In a sense, [Saul's] failure is teh failure of the better man, the failure of one chosen for a task that did not need a better man, only a wiser and more capable one." [p. 143]
Ezra: "By setting their seals to what was called the amana, the 'covenant,' they pledged themselves to the first written constitution in history, the beginning of the modern concept of law as a mutual agreement among free men. [p. 211]
This is a biography, remembrance and tribute to Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the 7th in line of Lubavitcher Chasidic Rebbes, or leaders of the Chabad movement within Orthodox Judaism. Probably of limited interest outside the movement, but well written, and informative. I admit to skimming certain portions (it does get a bit repetitive), but there is much to further understanding of this small but remarkably resilient group of stringently observant Jews and the philosophy that guides them. Not as personal as the title might suggest, and not an account of the author's spiritual journey, which was more what I had expected.
My Rebbe is an incredible account of Rabbi Schneerson's endeavors to change the face of Chabad-Lubavitch into the religious force it is today.
Through his insight and his ever-involving passion for human kindness and education, the world of Hasidic Judaism was changed through positive and inspirational modes. Rabbo Schneerson put an inspirational face to Orthodox Judaism, and an illumination to the world of the Hasidic Jew.
Human kindness is a goal we should all be cognizant of. It doesn't take much in a world where kindness is often left on the back burner of life. Simple acts can open the door of life for many individuals, giving them hope and the will to move forward. Life is not just about "me" and what it can bring me, but about "others" and what we can do to improve the human condition. Rabbi Schneerson stresses that within his life's realm.
What I was impressed with was how organized and orderly Rabbi Schneerson was in regards to issues. He wasn't one to jump forward without careful consideration and in-depth thinking. He researched and researched every topic and issue before dispensing an opinion.
Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz writes with candor and illuminating prose, evoking the depth of Rabbi Schneerson's life and his life's work and goals.
I want to thank Koren Publishers for the complimentary, Advanced Reader's Copy of My Rebbe.
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LorriMilli | 1 andere bespreking | Apr 13, 2014 |
LorriMilli | 1 andere bespreking | Apr 13, 2014 | I got a sneak peek at the new Koren/Steinsaltz English Talmud Bavli this week. Regular readers of my blog know that I admire both Rabbi Steinsaltz and Koren Publications greatly. I am very pleased to report that this project blew me away, exceeding my expectations. Although I'm sure acquiring the entire set won't come inexpensively, I will find some way to afford to buy these as they come out. They're that amazing. [Disclaimer: Although Koren has been sending me review copies of some of their books, this review is based on a copy that I borrowed for a few days from my rabbi.]
Some background, for those who have not tried learning Talmud in English before.
Until now, the student of Talmud who needed English help had, realistically, two sources. First was the Soncino translation, done nearly a century ago. It's dry, academic, and literal. It doesn't give you any extra help understanding the text. Second, over the last two decades, Artscroll/Mesorah has published the Schottenstein edition, which goes too far in the other direction. Overwhelming the reader with help, it's extremely useful for beginners but its extensive mix of discursions can get in the way and bog the reader down.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Steinsaltz has spent the past forty years creating a rendition of the Talmud into modern Hebrew. Part translation, part explication, he interpolates just enough background and explanatory material to fill in the gaps, without handholding the reader all the way. His marginalia are masterful: some summarize the practical halacha, some explain the archaeological or biological realia, some provide capsule biographies of personalities mentioned in the Talmud. His vowelization of the main Gemara text imposes grammatical rigor on what, for most readers, is usually an incoherent hodge-podge of Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish, and Yeshivish. I think it's fair to say that for the Hebrew reader, Rabbi Steinsaltz has truly revolutionized what it means to learn Gemara; he has done for our generation what Rashi did for his.
The English reader was teased when Random House tried to publish an English version of Rabbi Steinsaltz's work. What they produced was not very usable, though: they were great coffee-table books, but too confusing to use as a study tool, and each tractate required so many English volumes in their edition that it was too expensive. They never finished.
So now Koren has started publishing a new English translation of Rabbi Steinsaltz's rendition. (Yes, it's entirely new; this is not related to the Random House edition at all.) And they have scored on all counts.
The basic format of the book is as follows: If you open it from the Hebrew side, you get a recreation of the Vilna pages, only the main text and Rashi are provided with vowels and punctuation. If you start from the English side, you get a running translation.
The English pages have been designed brilliantly by Raphaël Freeman. As a software developer, I am tempted to use the phrase "information architecture" to describe what has been accomplished here. The main body of the page is a two-column layout, with paragraphs of Hebrew/Aramaic text (from the Gemara, without any interpolations) set next to their English renditions, which are translations of Rabbi Steinsaltz's modern Hebrew rendition. As has become conventional, bold type indicates the translation, while regular-weight type indicates the interpolations. The translation is top-notch, eminently readable, it is not at all stilted or unnatural. (And for those of us who believe that women should not be excluded from their equal inheritance in Torah study, the presence of women on the translation team should be noted.)
Surrounding the main text block are translations of Rabbi Steinsaltz's notes, with headings, as in the original, indicating what each one is. Now here's one of the brilliant touches: in the main text block, superscript sans-serif letters look like footnote indicators, but simply refer you to which section of marginalia to examine. Each note starts with the text it references in bold, in Hebrew and in English, so it's very easy to find the note you're looking for --- and to go back to the main text when you're done. Had they used numbered footnotes, it would have been far more confusing; one thing that has always annoyed me about Artscroll's footnotes, for example, is that you never know whether it's worth interrupting your reading to follow the number. Are they just going to give you a cross-reference, or are they going to explain some concept in depth? Well, with this system, your eyes can easily gloss over notes that you don't want to follow right now, while easily navigating the page when you do.
The mechanics of this cross-referencing system are never explained. They don't need to be. The design is so clear that its use is intuitively obvious, making the complexity of the interrelated texts easily navigable.
The hand-drawn diagrams and fuzzy reproductions of photographs from the original Hebrew have been beautifully updated with full-color versions. I'll let these photos speak for themselves:
[On my blog, I included photos of the old Hebrew and new English editions side-by-side]
It's tempting to compare these with the DK children's books, and I mean that as a compliment. The photos are clear, eye-catching, relevant, and enhance both the aesthetic experience and the learning. (Just last week, in a class at our synagogue, we were trying to understand the size relationship between unripe grapes, ripe grapes, and white beans. Photos such as these would have made that conversation easier and more rewarding.)
I do wish for one impractical change. As wonderful as Rabbi Steinsaltz's explication is, I have sometimes found myself in the Hebrew looking at the Rashi on a difficult section. In the Koren English edition, I'll need to use the cross-references at the bottoms of the pages to flip to the Hebrew section to do that. I realize this was necessary to keep the page count manageable, but I anticipate that being an occasional frustration.
My understanding is that Koren Publishers plans to release the entire set over the course of the next four years, faster than the Daf Yomi schedule. I wish them the financial success they deserve; this edition merits to become the new standard for English-language Talmud study.
1 530nm330hz | 1 andere bespreking | May 30, 2012 |
530nm330hz | 1 andere bespreking | May 30, 2012 | 
This book introduces readers to about a dozen of the men whose views appear in the Talmud. Steinsaltz does not focus on the teachings of these men, but rather on their “history,” although he mentions some of their teachings. This is not a scientific study of the periods in which the men lived, nor is it a scholarly study of their biographies. It is rather a brief presentation of the men as they are described in the Talmud, a description that is generally legendary in character. Thus readers seeking the truth about these men, as maintained by scholars, will not find it here. However, it is important to know what the Talmudic editors and Jewish tradition thought about these sages, and Steinsaltz presents this well. He devotes about a half dozen pages to each person.
Rabbi Steinsaltz is by no means unaware of the scholarly views. For example, he notes that the Nasi and the Deputy Nasi were representatives of different schools of thoughts with different world views but “we are ignorant today” what they are. Similarly: “there are differences of opinion among scholars as to exactly when the center of Yavneh began to function.”
An example of his style is his portrayal of the great sage Hillel. He states that Hillel was the Nasi of the Sanhedrin, meaning the head of the Jewish court that made religious legal decisions. He says that Hillel lived 120 years. The idea about the Nasi and the Sanhedrin is the view of the Talmud. That Hillel lived 120 years is a legend in a Midrash, implying that he was so good that he lived as long as Moses. However, scholars are convinced that the Sanhedrin was a governing body, a kind of parliament that was headed by the High Priest who governed the people at that time. This is the portrait of the Sanhedrin in the New Testament. Readers interested in the scholarly view may want to read Sidney B. Hoenig’s great work The Sanhedrin. Readers will have to decide for themselves which approach they prefer, but as previously stated, even if they reject the Talmudic approach presented by Rabbi Steinsaltz, they should not reject it without understanding it, for the position he presents is the understanding of most people.
Another example is the interesting appraisal Rabbi Steinsaltz gives readers of the disputes between the schools of Hillel and Shammai. He states that the school formed by Hillel’s colleague Shammai regarded “reality through the prism of the ideal of the world to come. For this reason, reality must surrender to the ideal, and must be defined by clear cut rules, without compromise.” In contrast, the school of Hillel “is pragmatic…one which takes reality into account, and considers human problems, sensitivities, and vagaries.” This may be true. However, another view, favored by many scholars, is that Shammai and his school were conservatives, insisting that the old laws and old ways should not be changed, while Hillel and his school sought changes to fit the new needs of society.
In summary, this is a very good beginning to what will surely be an excellent series. This volume introduces readers to the Talmudic personalities and some of their teachings as they were understood by the rabbis who wrote the Talmud.
This book introduces readers to twenty-five biblical personalities, thirteen men and twelve women, including well-known figures such as Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Abraham, and Joseph, as well as little-known personalities who should be known better, such as Michal, Jehu, Athaliah, and Josiah, all of whom made significant impacts upon world history. He devotes about eight pages to each person.
He tells readers that they should not expect an idealized portrayal because the “Scriptural style is almost always objective… The great men and women who serve as examples and models for all generations are not described only in terms of glowing admiration. Their failings, failures, and difficulties are described.” He warns that the behavior of the Israelite ancestors shouldn’t always be copied.
He states that he intends to “fill in some of the outlines in the picture (of these biblical figures), to clarify certain things hinted in the Scriptures.” He says that no “biblical story is complete without these additional strata of content.” These imaginative additions are interesting, but readers need to beware to differentiate the additions from what is in the Torah text. Unfortunately, Rabbi Steinsaltz does not always say what the imaginative additions are.
Yet the additions and interpretations are interesting. For example, he sees Eve as a “precursor or women in general.” An analysis of her behavior, he says, helps readers understand women and their relationship to men. He focuses on a Midrash that the original divine creation was a single being with male and female connected back to back. He concludes from this that “Male and female are essentially part of one being.” He shows how. This midrashic allegory is not only not in the Torah, but the Midrash apparently derived it from the pagan philosopher Plato’s Symposium, without attribution.
Interestingly, he states that Abraham was not the founder of monotheism; people knew the concept of one God before him. Even during his lifetime the Torah reports that Melchizedek was a priest to the one God. Abraham’s contribution “was simply (that he was) the first person in a long time to relate seriously to an old religious outlook which was primary and genuine.” Steinsaltz discusses how the “graven image” developed from monotheism. He admits that the polytheists had many sophisticated thinkers. He recognizes that the “vivid legend of the story of the young Abraham smashing the idols…is not accepted by serious scholars.”
In summary, Rabbi Steinsaltz gives readers an interesting brief portrayal of a couple of dozen male and female biblical figures and supplements these portrayals with thought provoking ideas.
From the origins and meaning of prayer to a step-by-step explanation of the daily services to the reason you're not supposed to chat with your friends during the service, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz answers many of the questions likely to arise about Jewish prayer. Here are chapters on daily prayer; Sabbath prayer; prayer services for the holidays; the yearly cycle of synagogue Bible readings; the history and make-up of the synagogue; the different prayer rites for Ashkenazim, Sephardim, Yemenites, and other cultural/geographic groupings; the role of the rabbi and the cantor in the synagogue; and the role of music in the service.
The book also contains a glossary, a bibliography, and biographical sketches of the rabbis who were instrumental in creating and ordering the prayers through the ages.
Rabbi Steinsaltz's guide is an essential volume both for the newcomer to Jewish prayer and for those who have been engaged in prayer for years.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.NOTES: Purchased from Amazon.com. SUBTITLE:
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