Jewish Talmud: please explain to me what this book is, and also how I can get a copy of it?

Question

thank you

Answer 1

The Talmud is the compilation of the laws formulated since the return of the Jews from the Babylonian exile,before this the Jews lived by the Torah which was the first five books of Moses.
If you do a search for` Babylonian Talmud` there are sites with much information.

Answer 2

I suppose you could find an English version of the Soncino Babylonian Talmud in a public library. That translation is a bit dated though, and today many Talmud readers use the Artscroll Shottenstein Edition.

You can purchase it at: http://www.artscroll.com, but be forewarned that it spans 75 volumes.

The Talmud is a record of the conversations of the Jewish Sages and their descendants who survived the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and sent the Jewish people into Exile.

Between the 2nd and 6th centuries, they wrote down all the details about Jewish law, customs, folklore that had previously only been transmitted from generation to generation by mouth.

Where matters of Jewish law are concerned, the Talmud records the detailed arguments and opinions of all the Rabbis of that time, analysing each topic in great detail and then drawing a final conclusion about each matter.

The Talmud is so expansive and voluminous, that many Jews spend an entire lifetime studying it.

It really is a fascinating body of work, but if you don't have a solid grounding in the scriptures (Five Books of Moses, Joshua, Judges, Shmuel I & II, Kings I & II, all the Prophets), then you will find the Talmud very difficult to follow.

Answer 3

It is the 'oral tradition' of which Jesus said "Makes the law of God invalid".