Judaism
- JudaismThe monotheistic faith of the Jews. The word itself (Yahadut) does not appear in the Bible. It is first found in II Maccabees and in Esther Rabbah (7:11). It appears to have been coined by Hellenized Jews (using the Greek word Judaismos) and denotes both a religious and a national concept. The question of whether the Jews constitute a religion, a nation, or both, has been discussed for centuries, especially since the EMANCIPATION (see JEW). In English, it is possible to differentiate between “Judaism” and “Jewishness,” the former including what are termed the “religious” elements. In fact, “Judaism” is an all-embracing concept incorporating not only the ritual aspects, and has been described as an entire “way of life,” or “civilization.” Judaism sanctifies all aspects of life, even including what is today called “secular.” It is concerned with every detail of life...
- Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
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Credo Reference is an easy-to-use tool for starting research. Gather background information on your topic from hundreds of full-text encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 500,000+ images and audio files and over 1,000 videos.
Primary Sources & Online Resources
- ALHATORAHExplore 2,500 years of Biblical interpretation and enjoy a rich, multi-dimensional learning experience. Study Mishna and Talmud with all your chosen commentaries on one page. Create your own customized Rambam, Tur, and Shulchan Arukh with the commentators of your choice. Make prayer a more powerful experience by unlocking its meaning and history.
- The Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital LibraryThe Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) is very proud to present the Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library, a free online digitized virtual library of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Hundreds of manuscripts made up of thousands of fragments – discovered from 1947 and until the early 1960’s in the Judean Desert along the western shore of the Dead Sea – are now available to the public online. The high resolution images are extremely detailed and can be accessed through various search options on the site.
- Reform ResponsaResponsa published by CCAR have generally revealed Reform Jewish thinking on issues of everyday Jewish life at the time that it was originally written. However, it is important to note that because there is such a long history of Reform Responsa, going back to the 19th century, much of the collection no longer reflects contemporary thinking or language. It remains available here for the purpose of historical reference, but in many cases is no longer representative of today’s CCAR and the Reform Movement.
- The Talmud-National LibraryManuscripts from different periods were discovered. Many of the ancient manuscripts were destroyed as part of the persecution of the Talmud by Christian clerics. In the National Library you can see early printed editions and many manuscripts, some of them rare. The library is a partner in the "Talmudic Manuscripts Treasure" project which groups and makes available to the public the photographs of most of the Talmudic manuscripts kept in libraries around the world.
Database
- ATLA Religion Database/ATLASerials Plus This link opens in a new window
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ATLA includes full-text coverage of major religion and theology journals is provided for more than 285,300 electronic articles and book reviews, from more than 150 journals selected by leading religion scholars in the United States.
Oral Torah - Mishnah and Talmud
- Kanopy This link opens in a new window
Within Judaism, two central texts form the basis for devotion to God through study. Grasp the nature of the Mishnah, a body of legal judgments and maxims teaching students how to think critically. Then encounter the Talmud, a vast analysis and commentary on the Mishnah and Jewish life - a marvel of world literature.
Judaism on Death and the Afterlife
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowIn the first of several lectures on how major world faiths approach death, the focus is on Judaism. From the importance of mourning and burial rites to the recent resurgence in American Jewish belief in an afterlife, go inside the evolving views on death and the afterlife in Jewish history.
What is Judaism?
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowContinuing his quest for belief, host Tevya get's a fresh look at the history and traditions of the Hasidic Jews (a little different to the Judaism he was used to). Rabbi Kaplan and some new friends offer insight into the most important passage in a Jewish boy's life, the Bar Mitzvah, celebrate Purim and have dinner with the Rabbi's family. Can Rabbi Kaplan reveal the answer to one of the burning questions - why can't Jews eat bacon?
Perspectives
The Essential Talmud
In The Essential Talmud, the renowned Israeli scholar and teacher Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz succinctly describes the history, structure, and methodology of the sacred text by which the Jewish people have lived and survived through the ages. Rabbi Steinsaltz summarizes the Talmud's main principles, demonstrates its contemporary relevance, and captures the spirit of this unique and paradoxical text as a human expression of divine law. This expanded edition features a historical overview of life in the times of the Talmud and an in-depth look at the content and appearance of the original Talmudic page. As Rabbi Solomon S. Bernards of the B'Nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League puts it, "this book is indispensable to those, Jews and Christians alike, who would like to gain an insight into what it is that moves the contemporary Jew."
The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary
Rashi, the medieval French rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105), authored monumental commentaries on the Hebrew Bible and the Babylonian Talmud. With The JPS Rashi Discussion Torah Commentary, his commentary on the Torah--regarded as the most authoritative of all Torah commentaries--is finally accessible to the entire Jewish community. Steven and Sarah Levy quote from the biblical text in both Hebrew and English, highlight Rashi's comments relating to the parashah, and delve into his perceptive moral messages in the context of twenty-first-century dilemmas. Each portion features three essays with analysis and discussion questions that draw on universal human experiences, enabling families and Shabbat study groups to deepen their understanding of Rashi and the portion over the three Sabbath meals. Readers with little or no knowledge of Hebrew, the Torah, or Jewish practice will feel comfortable diving into this discussion commentary. All Hebrew terms are defined, quoted verses contextualized, and less familiar Jewish concepts explained.
Printing the Talmud
Printing the Talmud: Complete Editions, Tractates and Other Works, and the Associated Presses from the Mid-17th Century through the 18th Century is a profusely illustrated major work describing the complete editions of the Talmud printed from about 1650 to slightly after 1800. Apart from the intrinsic value of those editions, their publication was often contentious due to disputes, often bitter, between rival publishers, embroiling rabbis and communities throughout Europe. The cities and editions encompassed include Amsterdam, Frankfort am Main, Frankfurt on the Oder, Prague, and Sulzbach. This edition of Printing the Talmud addresses these editions as an opening to discuss the history of the subject presses, their other titles and their general context in Jewish history.
Jewish Religion after Theology
Jewish Religion after Theology ponders one of the most intriguing shifts in modern Jewish thought: from a metaphysical and theological standpoint toward a new manner of philosophizing based primarily on practice. Different chapters study this great shift and its various manifestations. The central figure of this new examination is Isaiah Leibowitz, whose thoughts encapsulate more than any other Jewish thinker this stance of religion without metaphysics. Sagi explores corresponding issues such as observance, the possibility of pluralism, the meaning of penance without messianic suppositions, and pragmatic coping with theodicy after the Holocaust, presenting the different possibilities within this great alteration in Jewish thought.
The Jewish Religion
How do Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism differ? Is caviar kosher? Who was Maimonides? What is current Jewish thought on Jesus, sex, abortion, feminism, and capital punishment? Spanning from biblical times to the present, The Jewish Religion offers a goldmine of information on Jewish belief and practice, wisdom and culture, history and tradition. Sweeping in scope and based on impeccable scholarship, this volume's 750 alphabetical entries range from Aaron to Zweifel to illuminate virtually every facet of the Jewish heritage. For example, the book explains Halakhah and Aggadah, the legal and non-legal sides of Jewish thought; traces the development of the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Movements; discusses Haskalah (the Jewish Enlightenment) and Hasidism; and explores the differences between the Spanish traditions of the Sephardim and the German traditions of the Ashkenazim. It examines the great philosophical questions underlying the Jewish faith; carefully examines Zionism, with its tension between religion and nationalism and its profound implications for the present and the future of Israel; and serves as a marvelous companion to Jewish religious and philosophical literature. Readers will find entries on all the books of the Old Testament--with compelling descriptions of the patriarchs, prophets, and law givers--on the oral and written Torah, on the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmud, and on the Kabbalah. Jacobs examines all the great Jewish thinkers--from Rashi, Akiba, and Judah the Prince, to Maimonides, Spinoza, and Martin Buber--and he describes the thought of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of Hasidism, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, father of the Reform movement, and Theodore Herzl, the originator of modern Zionism. Finally, the book is filled with information on popular customs, rituals, and religious services, covering all the major holidays, providing guidance on prayer and liturgy, and explaining the dietary laws in detail.
The Babylonian Talmud
The Hebrew Scriptures contain many hundreds of laws both religious and civil. They concern the Temple (in Exodus), the priesthood (in Leviticus), the Temple offerings and other rites (in Numbers), and the social order of Israel (in Deuteronomy). These may rightly be called the written law (Torah). The oral law is the extension of these precepts to cover all of life and its contingencies. The oral law (or Mishnah) was written down by rabbinic sages about 200 C.E. With the Talmud, Jewish sages systematized the laws in Scripture together with those of the oral tradition. While the Mishnah records rules governing the conduct of the holy life of Israel, the Talmud concerns itself with the details of the Mishnah. Israel's oral law found its definitive expression in the Talmud. The Talmud of Babylonia (a.k.a., the Bavli, or Babylonian Talmud), is a sustained commentary on the written and oral law of Israel. Compiled between 500-600 C.E., it offers a magnificent record of how Jewish scholars preserved a humane and enduring civilization. Representing the primary document of rabbinic Judaism, it throws considerable light on the New Testament as well. was extraordinarily expensive and difficult to find. Now all 37 Talmudic tractates are available in an affordable 22-volume reprint. Featuring commentary and new introductions by Jacob Neusner, it also includes the full content on CD-ROM. It features: presented in an analytical format that makes logical units easier to follow; Mishnah passages are set in bold type; Passages translated from Aramaic are set in italics; 22 attractive hardcover volumes; and, includes the full set on CD-ROM for effortless searching and research.
The Messiah
Read the Aramaic interpretation; the Messianic exegesis of the Targum.
Values, Prosperity, and the Talmud
This insightful book offers business advice that has endured for thousands of years. While business fads come and go, the ancient lessons of the Talmud are timeless, profound, ethical, and practical-and they're for everyone. Values, Prosperity, and the Talmud is a concise guide to this proven philosophy of business. Beyond basic money-related matters, it includes the Talmud's advice on complex issues of employer/employee relationships, partnerships, competition, and much more. Here, you will learn how to run a successful business, negotiate with style, earn the loyalty of your employees, sell products successfully, advertise effectively, and make higher profits, all within an ethical and moral framework. Buy it today!
Judaism - People of the Book
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowIn approaching the sacred texts of Judaism, learn the dramatic history of the Aleppo Codex, a historically significant copy of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible). Track the origins of the Tanakh and its constituent sections - the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings - and grasp how the Tanakh became the focus of Jewish identity.