The Yerushalmi--The Talmud of the Land of Israel: An Introduction

by Jacob Neusner

Overview

The Yerushalmi, also known as the Jerusalem Talmud or the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is the lesser known and leser studied of the two Talmuds of Jewish tradition. The "talmud" that is generally studied, the one that has had the most profound influence on Jewish life and culture, is actually the Bavli, or Babylonian Talmud. These two Talmuds, developed in different parts of the Jewish world nearly two millennia ago, differ in many ways, despite the fact that they are both structured as Jewish oral law as set forth by Rabbi Judah the Prince.

The Yerushalmi, famous for its incomprehensibility, consists of hundreds of pages of what Dr. Jacob Neusner calls "barely intelligible writing." In The Yerushalmi—The Talmud of the Land of Israel: An Introduction, Dr. Neusner, regarded by some as one of the foremost Jewish scholars today, offers the first clear and careful book-length study of this important document, and he provides the modern reader with a rich understanding of its history, its content, and its significance.

As Dr. Neusner explains, "The Yerushalmi has suffered an odious but deserved reputation for the difficulty in making sense of its discourse. That reputation is only partly true; there are many passages that are scarcely intelligible. But there are a great many more that are entirely or mainly accessible." In this groundbreaking introduction to the Yerushalmi, Dr. Neusner looks at the Talmud of the Land of Israel as literature and then deals with its three most important topics: the sages, Torah, and history.

In his engaging preface, Dr. Neusner invites his readers to think about the excitement generated by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. He then compares that significant discovery to the kind of reaction that would be inspired if a document like the Yerushalmi were found in the same kind of hillside cave:

Consider in your mind's eye the sensation such a discovery—the sudden, unanticipated discovery of the Yerushalmi—would cause, the scholarly lives and energies that would flow to the find and its explication...To call the contents of that hillside cave a revolution, to compare them to the finds at Qumran, at the Dead Sea, or at Nag Hammadi, or to any of the other great contemporary discoveries from ancient times, would hardly be deemed an exaggeration. The Yerushalmi is just such a library.

The Yerushalmi—The Talmud of the Land of Israel: An Introduction is the third in Dr. Neusner's series of introductory volumes on classical rabbinic literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780876688120
Publisher:	Aronson, Jason Inc.
Publication date:	01/01/1994
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.28(h) x 0.84(d)

About the Author

Dr. Jacob Neusner is Distinguished Research Professor of Religious Studies at University of South Florida, Tampa. The recipient of numerous scholarships, fellowships, awards, and research grants, Dr. Neusner is the author or editor of over 500 books on Jewish themes, including The Foundations of the Theology of Judaism, The Mishnah: An Introduction, The Midrash: An Introduction, and A Rabbi Talks with Jesus: An Intermillennial, Interfaith Exchange.

Table of Contents

Preface Prologue 1. The Yerushalmi as Literature: Many Voices, One Melody 2. The Yerushalmi's Picture of the Sage 3. The Yerushalmi's Doctrine of the Torah 4. The Yerushalmi's Account of History Epilogue Acknowledgments and Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

The Midrash: An Introduction

"Once again, Dr. Neusner has provided a means to understanding Midrash for the layman. That is, to understand Midrash means that one must study the compilations one by one beginning with the early commentators. His work is limited to the early scriptural exegesis through the seventh century, covering both the Mishnah Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud. The work contains introductory selections for each of the principal compilations together with a bibliography of other works by both himself and others. A well-planned and organized volume, this represents ground-breaking material for the would-be student."

From the Publisher

The Mishnah: An Introduction

"Jacod Neusner, one of the world's foremost mishnaic scholars, explores the logical and literary patterns to be discerned in the complete mishnaic text. His introduction sums up the goal he sets for himself: 'How do you read a book that does not identify its author, tell you where it comes from, or explain why it was written—a book without a preface? And how do you identify a book with neither beginning nor end, lacking the table of contents and title? The answer is you just begin and let the author of the book lead you by paying attention to the information that the author does give, to the signals that the writer sets out'."

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The Mishnah: An Introduction
"Jacod Neusner, one of the world's foremost mishnaic scholars, explores the logical and literary patterns to be discerned in the complete mishnaic text. His introduction sums up the goal he sets for himself: 'How do you read a book that does not identify its author, tell you where it comes from, or explain why it was written—a book without a preface? And how do you identify a book with neither beginning nor end, lacking the table of contents and title? The answer is you just begin and let the author of the book lead you by paying attention to the information that the author does give, to the signals that the writer sets out'."

The Jerusalem Post