The Talmud: What It Is and What It Says

Neusner, author or editor of nearly a thousand books (yes, you read that correctly), is a renowned Jewish scholar who has devoted his impressive career to the study of Judaism. His documentary studies of classical texts include valuable translations of both the Jerusalem and the Babylonian Talmuds. Here, he sets out to provide a primer to the Talmud in seven chapters that discuss "fundamental questions" of history, literature and religion. Although a primer is commonly perceived as a simple, introductory book on a subject, what Neusner has produced here is a complex analysis that requires painstaking attention. As he explains, the Talmud consists of the Mishnah, a systematic codification of the oral law, and the Gemara, rabbinic commentaries, including disputes about the law. Extensive quotations, elaborated by the author, illustrate the Talmudic discussions. A final chapter, "How Does the Talmud Present God?" confronts the vexed question of theodicy—why does a just God allow evil? Neusner cites a Talmudic answer that envisions "resurrection of the dead at the end of days" and "eternal life." Assiduous readers of all faiths will benefit from this introduction to the Talmud as a "cookbook of culture composed of recipes for sustaining civilization." (Aug. 28)