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The Essential Talmud
Adin Steinsaltz
Basic Books, 1976
ISBN: 0-465-02063-1 

Many Christians assume that modern Judaism is a religion of the Bible. For Jews, the Bible is the Tanach - what Christians call the Old Testament. And while religious Jews would claim allegiance to the Tanach, it is not a stretch to say that Talmud commands their attention. It is the primary focus of study and meditation. Here is how Adin Steinsaltz puts it:

If the Bible is the cornerstone of Judaism, then the Talmud is the central pillar, soaring up from the foundations and supporting the entire spiritual and intellectual edifice. In many ways the Talmud is the most important book in Jewish culture, the backbone of creativity and of national life. No other work has had a comparable influence on the theory and practice of Jewish life, shaping spiritual content and serving as a guide to conduct. [The Essential Talmud, p.3]

Few will dispute the remarkable achievement of Jewish people in virtually all walks life. But we might well ask how it is that a people who have been hounded and harassed throughout history can excel in so many pursuits.  Rabbi Abraham Hirsch Rabinowitz believes that much of Jewish success is related to the benefits of Talmud study.

The versatility and achievement of the Jewish mind is proverbial. There is hardly a field of human contemplation and endeavor in which Jews have failed to excel. Precocity and originality have usually marked the contribution of Jews to knowledge, as also a striking ability to improvise. Of the main factors that together created the Jewish mind, there can be little doubt that the contributon of the age-long preoccupation of the Jew with Talmud and halachah is formidable. The study of Talmud, undertaken at an early age and pursued assiduously, nurtured alertness, discernment, and acumen and cultured the ability to weigh situations and opinions. It encouraged debate and individual research, rewarded initiative, and lauded brilliance. [The Study of Talmud, Jason Aronson Inc, 1996, p.xiii]

But what is the Talmud? The Talmud is a multi-volume summary of oral law that evolved over several centuries of work by scholars who lived in Palestine and Babylonia. Jews believe that Moses received both the written law and the oral law on Mount Sinai, and that the Talmud is the codification of that oral tradition. Following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (70 C.E.), leaders in Judaism began recognizing the importance of codifying these traditions lest they be lost to Jews who were dispersed throughout the known world. It was during those four to five centuries following the Temple’s destruction that these oral teachings were recorded, edited and assembled into what we know as the Talmud.

Anyone with even the most casual acquaintance with Jewish tradition will know that mastering the Talmud is a life-long pursuit. Only those convinced that their spiritual well-being rests upon knowing Talmud will make that commitment. And yet, Christians who desire to understand their Jewish friends and neighbours might do well to seek a basic understanding of the content of Talmud, and how these traditions guide Jews in their daily lives.

Adin Steinsaltz has provided just the volume for those looking for a basic introduction to how Jewish law functions. The Essential Talmud will give readers a fascinating look at codified oral tradition - an insider’s explanation of how religious Jews tackle the big questions of life in terms of fulfilling God’s law as they understand it. Though written more than thirty years ago, I have yet to find an introductory text that does the job as well as this one.

Steinsaltz covers his subject under three major headings: History, Structure and Content, and Method.

After answering the question, “What is Talmud?”, the author follows the long, arduous history of how the Talmud was produced. In doing so, he covers the two major centres of Torah study - Jerusalem and Babylon - showing how the Babylonian Talmud came to be the most authoritative Talmud.

The second major section of the book explores the structure of the Talmud, looking briefly at the various subjects treated within the oral tradition. The major themes covered are:

• Prayers and Benedictions
• The Sabbath
• The Festivals
• Marriage and Divorce
• The Status of Women
• Civil Law
• Criminal Law
• Sacrifices
• Dietary Laws
• Ritual Purity and Impurity
• Ethics and Halakhah
• Derekh Eretz (Deportment)
• The World of Mysticism

 For me, the third section provided the greatest insight into how the religious Jew thinks, for here Steinsaltz discusses Halakhic exegesis, methods of study, and how the Talmudic mind works. I suspect more than a few conservative Christians will find this section both fascinating and frustrating, because Talmudic thinking often runs counter to what would be considered clear biblical teaching. For example, there is in Talmud a debate among rabbis where one rabbi calls God as his witness. To our surprise, the rest of the rabbis discount any divine contribution on the basis that God, in giving Torah at Sinai, placed custody of Torah on earth - under the protection of Moses, and by extension, the rabbis. Not even The Almighty can speak against the rabbis!

Reading The Essential Talmud will not make you an expert in oral Torah, but it will provide insight into how religious Jews order their lives. It will also, I hope, encourage Christians to give greater attention to their own pursuit of mastering the living and enduring Word of God - in reading, studying, memorizing and meditating on the words of Holy Scripture.

A version of this review first appeared in ChristianWeek.

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“Is Woody Allen a Jew?” Coming on the heels of a lengthy conversation where my rabbi-friend had argued that Jews believing in Jesus were no longer Jews, my question was framed in light of his equating Jewishness with adherence to Judaism.

“Of course he is”, my friend replied. “Why would you ask?”

“How could he be a Jew?” I exclaimed. “You are an orthodox rabbi and he is, as far as I can tell, a secular Jew. He is everything you are not! How can you say a secular Jew, who apparently believes little about traditional Judaism is still deemed Jewish, but a Jew believing in Jesus and seeking to live a godly life is not Jewish?”

Undaunted, my friend countered, “Woody Allen is an uninformed Jew.”

“Following that logic,” I said, “every Jewish person believing in Jesus is simply an ‘uniformed Jew,’ but he or she is nevertheless still Jewish.”

“No,” my rabbi-friend countered. “A Jew who believes in Jesus makes a conscious decision to become an idolater, because Jesus claims to be God and there is only one God.”

I have had many conversations with my friend since that day, and invariably our conversations revolve around a familiar set of Jewish objections to Jesus and the Christian faith. Because my main vocation is leading an evangelistic, discipling ministry in Toronto’s Jewish community, I am always in the hunt for good resources to assist me in answering those objections.

One of the best resources I have found is the multi-volume work Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus (BakerBooks, Vols. 1 & 2 - 2000; Vol. 3 - 2003; Vol. 4 - 2006) by Michael L. Brown. Described by Barry Leventhal (Academic Dean & Professor at Southern Evangelical Seminary) as the “foremost messianic apologist in the world,” Brown is an able defender of the Messianic Jewish/Christian faith.

With a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University, Brown, a Jewish believer in Jesus, has been a visiting professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Fuller Theological Seminary. He has authored more than 15 books and contributed to the Oxford Dictionary of Jewish Religion. Currently Dr. Brown serves as president of the FIRE School of Ministry. Having appeared in numerous public debates with Jewish leaders, Brown is well-qualified to answer the objections his fellow Jews raise against Christianity.

In volume one Brown addresses 35 objections of a general and historical nature. He responds to such statements as “I was born a Jew and I will die a Jew”; “I won’t betray my ancestors”; and “If Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, why isn’t there peace on earth?” At the heart of these sorts of objections is the sentiment that “Jesus is not for Jews,” that Jesus cannot be the Messiah since we are not living in the Messianic Age.

His second volume deals with 28 theological objections to Jesus. Among the doctrines discussed are such matters as the Trinity, the Deity of Jesus, the concept of a suffering Messiah and the continuity/discontinuity of the law. Brown believes these objections are among the most serious, cutting to the very heart of what divides Messianic Jewish/Christian faith from traditional Judaism. Underlying objections of this kind is the opinion that the New Testament portrays a foreign religion, a religion unfaithful to the Hebrew Scriptures.

Brown tackles 39 Jewish objections to Jesus as the fulfiller of OT messianic prophecies in volume three. Accusing Christians of mistranslation, misquotation or taking verses out of context, Jewish objections in this area relate to the belief that Jesus did not live up to the Biblical description of Messiah.

In volume four, Brown answers 34 objections raised against the veracity of the New Testament. Those objections revolve around claims that the New Testament is historically inaccurate, that the Gospels portray a mythical Jesus who was a false prophet.

Throughout each volume, Brown follows a consistent format: concisely stating an objection, presenting a clear answer, supporting his response with appropriate citations, both Biblical and extra-biblical, and giving attention to possible objections leveled at his answers.

Brown writes for three groups: Christians interested in sharing their faith sensitively with Jewish people; Jewish believers who are being confused by the growing stridency of Jewish anti-missionary organizations; and for Jews of every background who do not believe that Jesus is Israel’s promised Messiah.

A careful reading of these volumes will reveal that many Jewish objections to Jesus are rooted in misconceptions about Christianity - misconceptions born and cultivated in the soil of a “gentilized” Christian faith disconnected from its Jewish roots. As Brown convincingly demonstrates, Christianity is a lot more Jewish than you think.

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You can purchase these books from Christianbook.com by clicking on the title below.

Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, 4 Volumes
By Michael L. Brown / Baker

When Christians share their faith with Hebrew friends and family, difficult questions often arise. Combining scholarship, spiritual seriousness, and an engaging style, Jewish believer Brown offers fair and comprehensive answers to more than 100 general, historical, and theological queries regarding New Testament teachings, the Messiah, Old Testament prophecies, and more. Thoroughly documented and footnoted. 250–350 pages each, four softcovers from Baker.