Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
Editor's Preface to the Second Edition......Page 11
Author's Preface to the First Edition (1991)......Page 12
I. The Historical Framework......Page 14
1) Political History......Page 15
2) The Beginnings of the Rabbinic Movement......Page 17
3) The Sources......Page 18
4) The Division of Jewish History into Periods......Page 20
1) Elementary Instruction......Page 21
2) Rabbinic Education in Palestine......Page 22
3) The Rabbinic Academies of Babylonia......Page 24
4) Disciples......Page 26
III. Rabbinical Hermeneutics......Page 28
1) The Seven Rules of Hillel......Page 29
2) The Thirteen Middot of R. Ishmael......Page 33
3) The Thirty-Two Middot......Page 35
1) The Concept of Oral Torah; A Ban on Writing?......Page 44
2) Rabbinic Evidence for the Ban on Writing?......Page 45
3) Rabbinic Evidence for the Writing Down of Oral Torah......Page 47
4) Schools And Oral Tradition......Page 50
V. Handling Rabbinic Texts: the Problem of Method......Page 58
1) Literary History......Page 59
2) Cultural and Religious History......Page 63
3) Form, Tradition and Redaction History......Page 64
1) Our Sources......Page 71
2) Rabbis' Names as an Aid for Dating......Page 72
3) Problems of Rabbinic Biography......Page 74
4) The Most Important Rabbis......Page 77
1) Mishnaic Hebrew (MH1)......Page 116
2) Amoraic Hebrew (MH2)......Page 118
3) Galilean Aramaic......Page 119
5) Foreign and Loan Words......Page 120
6) Lexicons......Page 122
I. The Mishnah......Page 123
2) Structure and Contents......Page 124
3) Origin......Page 139
4) The Text: Manuscripts and Editions......Page 154
II. The Tosefta......Page 164
1) Name, Structure and Contents......Page 165
2) Origin......Page 166
3) The Text of the Tosefta......Page 173
4) Commentaries on the Tosefta......Page 177
1) Terms and Definitions......Page 179
2) Content and Structure......Page 180
3) The Origin According to Tradition......Page 184
4) The Redaction......Page 185
5) The Text......Page 195
6) Commentaries......Page 201
IV. The Babylonian Talmud......Page 205
1) Structure and Contents......Page 206
2) Origin: according to Tradition......Page 207
3) Redaction......Page 209
4) The Text......Page 222
5) The Authority of the Babylonian Talmud......Page 229
6) Commentaries......Page 230
7) The Talmud in Controversy......Page 237
1) Abot de Rabbi Nathan (=ARN)......Page 240
2) Soferim......Page 242
3) Ebel Rabbati......Page 243
4) Kallah......Page 244
5) Derekh Ereṣ Rabbah (DER)......Page 245
8) The Other 'Minor Tractates'......Page 246
1) The Term......Page 249
2) Origins of Midrashic Exegesis......Page 250
3) The Character of Rabbinic Midrash......Page 252
4) Classmcation of the Midrashim......Page 254
5) The Synagogal Reading Cycle......Page 256
6) Synagogal Sermon, Petiḥah and Ḥatimah......Page 258
1) General Introduction......Page 262
2) The Mekhilta De Rabbi Ishmael (=Mek)......Page 266
3) The Mekhilta De Rabbi Simeon Ben Yoḥai (=MRS)......Page 272
4) Sifra......Page 274
5) A 'Mekhilta' on Leviticus?......Page 280
6) Sifre Numbers......Page 281
7) Sifre Zutta (=SZ)......Page 283
8) Sifre Deuteronomy......Page 285
9) Midrash Tannaim......Page 288
1) Genesis Rabbah (GenR)......Page 291
2) Lamentations Rabbah (LamR)......Page 298
1) Leviticus Rabbah (LevR)......Page 303
2) Pesiqta de Rab Kahana (PRK)......Page 306
3) Pesiqta Rabbah (PesR)......Page 311
4) Tanḥuma - Yelamdenu......Page 317
5) Deuteronomy Rabbah (DeutR)......Page 321
6) Exodus Rabbah (ExodR)......Page 323
7) Numbers Rabbah (NumR)......Page 324
8) Smaller Homiletical Midrashim......Page 326
1) The So-Called Rabbot......Page 330
2) Other Midrashim on the Megillot......Page 334
2) Midrash on Psalms (MidrPss)......Page 337
3) Midrash Mishle......Page 339
4) Midrash Job......Page 340
1) From Midrash to Narrative Literature......Page 341
2) Ethical Midrashim......Page 355
3) Esoteric and Mystical Writings......Page 358
1) Yalqut Shim'oni......Page 366
2) Yalqut ha-Makhiri......Page 367
3) Yalqut Reubeni......Page 368
4) Midrash ha-Gadol (MHG)......Page 369
5) Bereshit Rabbati......Page 370
6) Leqaḥ Tob......Page 371
8) Midrash Samuel......Page 372
9) Bereshit Zutta......Page 373
11) Other Midrashim and Related Works......Page 374
Electronic Sources for the Study of the Talmud and Midrash......Page 375
List of Weekly Readings (Sedarim) From the Torah According to the One-Year Cycle......Page 382
Literature Cited in Abbreviated Form......Page 383
Abbreviations......Page 388
Index of Subjects......Page 392
Index of Passages......Page 420
Index of Ancient and Medieval Names......Page 430
Index of Modern Authors......Page 438