How can I tame my ego? How might I control my anger? How might I experience the spirituality of sexual intimacy? How can I bestow appropriate honor on a difficult parent? How might I accept my own suffering and the suffering of those whom I love? Enter the Talmudic study house with innovative teacher Rabbi Amy Scheinerman and continue the Jewish values–based conversations that began two thousand years ago. The Talmud of Relationships, Volume 1 shows how the ancient Jewish texts of Talmud can facilitate modern relationship-building—with parents, children, spouses, family members, friends, and ourselves. Scheinerman devotes each chapter to a different Talmud text exploring relationships—and many of the selections are fresh, largely unknown passages. Overcoming the roadblocks of language and style that can keep even the curious from diving into Talmud, she walks readers through the logic of each passage, offering full textual translations and expanding on these richly complex conversations, so that each of us can weigh multiple perspectives and draw our own conclusions. Scheinerman provides grounding in why the selected passage matters, its historical background, a gripping narrative of the rabbis’ evolving commentary, insightful anecdotes and questions for thought and discussion, and a cogent synopsis. Through this firsthand encounter with the core text of Judaism, readers of all levels—Jews and non-Jews, newcomers and veterans, students and teachers, individuals and chevruta partners and families alike—will discover the treasure of the oral Torah.

How can I tame my ego? How might I control my anger? How might I experience the spirituality of sexual intimacy? How can I bestow appropriate honor on a difficult parent? How might I accept my own suffering and the suffering of those whom I love? Enter the Talmudic study house with innovative teacher Rabbi Amy Scheinerman and continue the Jewish values–based conversations that began two thousand years ago. The Talmud of Relationships, Volume 1 shows how the ancient Jewish texts of Talmud can facilitate modern relationship-building—with parents, children, spouses, family members, friends, and ourselves. Scheinerman devotes each chapter to a different Talmud text exploring relationships—and many of the selections are fresh, largely unknown passages. Overcoming the roadblocks of language and style that can keep even the curious from diving into Talmud, she walks readers through the logic of each passage, offering full textual translations and expanding on these richly complex conversations, so that each of us can weigh multiple perspectives and draw our own conclusions. Scheinerman provides grounding in why the selected passage matters, its historical background, a gripping narrative of the rabbis’ evolving commentary, insightful anecdotes and questions for thought and discussion, and a cogent synopsis. Through this firsthand encounter with the core text of Judaism, readers of all levels—Jews and non-Jews, newcomers and veterans, students and teachers, individuals and chevruta partners and families alike—will discover the treasure of the oral Torah.

How can I lead others with authority and kindness? How can I strengthen my self-control? How can I balance work and family? How can I get along with difficult coworkers? How can I best relate to people in need? Enter the Talmudic study house with innovative teacher Rabbi Amy Scheinerman and continue the Jewish values–based conversations that began two thousand years ago. The Talmud of Relationships, Volume 2 shows how the ancient Jewish texts of Talmud can facilitate modern relationship building—with family members, colleagues, strangers, the broader Jewish community, and ourselves. Scheinerman devotes each chapter to a different Talmud text exploring relationships—and many of the selections are fresh, largely unknown passages. Overcoming the roadblocks of language and style that can keep even the curious from diving into Talmud, she walks readers through the logic of each passage, offering full textual translations and expanding on these richly complex conversations, so that each of us can weigh multiple perspectives and draw our own conclusions. Scheinerman provides grounding in why the selected passage matters, its historical background, a gripping narrative of the rabbis’ evolving commentary, insightful anecdotes and questions for thought and discussion, and a cogent synopsis. Through this firsthand encounter with the core text of Judaism, readers of all levels—Jews and non-Jews, newcomers and veterans, students and teachers, individuals and chevruta partners and families alike—will discover the treasure of the oral Torah.

Rabbi Abrams walks us through tractate Megillah in a warm, unintimidating, and highly informed way.

How can I tame my ego? How might I control my anger? How might I experience the spirituality of sexual intimacy? How can I bestow appropriate honor on a difficult parent? How might I accept my own suffering and the suffering of those whom I love? Enter the Talmudic study house with innovative teacher Rabbi Amy Scheinerman and continue the Jewish values-based conversations that began two thousand years ago. The Talmud of Relationships, Volume 1 shows how the ancient Jewish texts of Talmud can facilitate modern relationship-building--with parents, children, spouses, family members, friends, and ourselves. Scheinerman devotes each chapter to a different Talmud text exploring relationships--and many of the selections are fresh, largely unknown passages. Overcoming the roadblocks of language and style that can keep even the curious from diving into Talmud, she walks readers through the logic of each passage, offering full textual translations and expanding on these richly complex conversations, so that each of us can weigh multiple perspectives and draw our own conclusions. Scheinerman provides grounding in why the selected passage matters, its historical background, a gripping narrative of the rabbis' evolving commentary, insightful anecdotes and questions for thought and discussion, and a cogent synopsis. Through this firsthand encounter with the core text of Judaism, readers of all levels--Jews and non-Jews, newcomers and veterans, students and teachers, individuals and chevruta partners and families alike--will discover the treasure of the oral Torah.

In Narrating the Law Barry Scott Wimpfheimer creates a new theoretical framework for considering the relationship between law and narrative and models a new method for studying talmudic law in particular. Works of law, including the Talmud, are animated by a desire to create clear usable precedent. This animating impulse toward clarity is generally absent in narratives, the form of which is better able to capture the subtleties of lived life. Wimpfheimer proposes to make these different forms compatible by constructing a narrative-based law that considers law as one of several "languages," along with politics, ethics, psychology, and others that together compose culture. A narrative-based law is capable of recognizing the limitations of theoretical statutes and the degree to which other cultural languages interact with legal discourse, complicating any attempts to actualize a hypothetical set of rules. This way of considering law strongly resists the divide in traditional Jewish learning between legal literature (Halakhah) and nonlegal literature (Aggadah) by suggesting the possibility of a discourse broad enough to capture both. Narrating the Law activates this mode of reading by looking at the Talmud's legal stories, a set of texts that sits uncomfortably on the divide between Halakhah and Aggadah. After noticing that such stories invite an expansive definition of law that includes other cultural voices, Narrating the Law also mines the stories for the rich descriptions of rabbinic culture that they encapsulate.

Tradition and the Formation of the Talmud offers a new perspective on perhaps the most important religious text of the Jewish tradition. It is widely recognized that the creators of the Talmud innovatively interpreted and changed the older traditions on which they drew. Nevertheless, it has been assumed that the ancient rabbis were committed to maintaining continuity with the past. Moulie Vidas argues on the contrary that structural features of the Talmud were designed to produce a discontinuity with tradition, and that this discontinuity was part and parcel of the rabbis' self-conception. Both this self-conception and these structural features were part of a debate within and beyond the Jewish community about the transmission of tradition. Focusing on the Babylonian Talmud, produced in the rabbinic academies of late ancient Mesopotamia, Vidas analyzes key passages to show how the Talmud's creators contrasted their own voice with that of their predecessors. He also examines Zoroastrian, Christian, and mystical Jewish sources to reconstruct the debates and wide-ranging conversations that shaped the Talmud's literary and intellectual character.

This exceptional work, with entries from Rav Abba to Rav Zutra, is an unprecedented study of every rabbi in the Talmud. The reader will find concise entries on every rabbinic personality mentioned in the Talmud, major and minor alike, and will discover such facts as their dates of birth, education, and occupation. Most entries are accompanied by a brief story about the rabbinic personality, with sources cited for easy reference.

There are many paths to Jewish ideals, and Moments of the Heart, 2020 Gold winner of the Nonfiction Book Awards and Finalist of the International Book Award, takes readers by the hand in a non-intimidating way to explore Jewish thoughts, choose a kinder life, and be empowered. Our heart has a tremendous influence on how we view life, how we act, and how we build relationships. Just as the heart has four chambers, Moments of the Heart lays out four different types of relationships: with oneself, with others, with the Creator, and once-in-a-life time moments that define people. Each chamber contains several entries introducing topics that stem from Jewish thought and practice that inspire readers to live their best lives, utilizing Hebrew knowledge, wisdom, and word play to dig deep, explore, and bring light to a concept. Native Israeli and educator Dorice Horenstein provides a self-empowering road map that leads readers towards the positive aspects of their lives with a "Lev Moment" opportunity at the end of each entry that sparks questioning, presents tangible tools and activities, and jump starts reflection to aid personal exploration. Approachable and inviting to both secular readers and all walks of faith who wish to cultivate a deeper ethical awareness and spiritual connection, Moments of the Heart serves to encourage everyone to live fully and wholeheartedly?heart, mind, and soul.

This book is the dogmatic sequel to Levering’s Engaging the Doctrine of Marriage, in which he argued that God’s purpose in creating the cosmos is the eschatological marriage of God and his people.. God sets this marriage into motion through his covenantal election of a particular people, the people of Israel. Central to this people’s relationship with the Creator God are their Scriptures, exodus, Torah, Temple, land, and Davidic kingship. As a Christian Israelology, this book devotes a chapter to each of these topics, investigating their theological significance both in light of ongoing Judaism and in light of Christian Scripture (Old and New Testaments) and Christian theology. The book makes a significant contribution to charting a path forward for Jewish-Christian dialogue from the perspective of post-Vatican II Catholicism.