[.ca] Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages (ISBN 9562913953)

From Amazon.com:
The Talmud is among the great books of wisdom--like the Bible, the Quran, and the Bhagavad Gita--whose citation gives a speaker instant credibility. Also like the Bible, the Quran, and the Bhagavad Gita, the Talmud is a powerful source of allusion in large part even though so few people have really read it. People don't read the Talmud because they think it's inaccessible--the sprawling collection of rabbinic writings is added to in each generation, and its significance is nothing less than the summary of Judaism. The best guide to the Talmud's labyrinthine form is Abraham Cohen's Everyman's Talmud: The Major Teachings of the Rabbinic Sages--a monumental work of scholarly summary that describes all the basic doctrines of Judaism. Everyman's Talmud includes concise chapters on everything from sin to superstitions to a Jew's duty to animals. You probably won't be able to read it straight through--doctrine, even elegantly distilled, is hard to take in big doses--but you'll be led back to it again and again, by questions that arise in daily life, at dinner parties, and from the pages of the daily newspaper. --Michael Joseph Gross

Important for Christians:
This book is a wonderful introduction to the traditions of post exilic Judaic thought. It is divided into chapters that make sense (topically) to those of us not familiar with the Talmudic and Rabbinical writings themselves. Cohen covers all the most important traditional ideas from the Talmud, including mystical elements like folklore and magic. Contains an excellent index. Christians will find this book very eye-opening in terms of understanding the New Testament, particularly with regard to discussions in the NT about the traditions of men. It also includes a thorough history of the names and dates and key players in the development of modern Judaism. It helped me separate the facts from the theories. Be sure to read all the front matter: the foreword, the preface by Cohen, and the introduction. If you don't, you will not fully appreciate the contents in the remaining chapters.

Just about all you need to know:
This book is a great overview of all those volumes of the Talmud. It contains many of the most common little stories and teachings. After reading this you will have a working familiarity with many ideas of Judaism

A thorough introduction and summary:
Abraham Cohen's _Everyman's Talmud_ was the first complete English introduction to the Talmud when it was published in 1928. So far as I know, it has never been surpassed. It is admirably thorough. In about 400 pages Rabbi Cohen hits all the major Talmudic themes: God and man, revelation, Jewish practice including ethics and jurisprudence. Filled with well-chosen quotations and explicated by Rabbi Cohen's crisp, scholarly expository prose, the volume is not at all a quick and easy read; you will want to take your time with this one. But your efforts will be well repaid. Not that I'm an expert myself -- but if I had to pick just one introductory volume on the Talmud for those who simply want to know what it says, this would be it. Highly recommended as an overview of rabbinic theology. (My own copy is the 1967 edition, so I can't comment on Jacob Neusner's introduction.)

Great Starting Point:
If You can't afford the hundreds of dollars to purchase or the hundreds of hours to peruse the entire Talmud, this book is for you. It is well constructed with key passages referenced and in most case the most prominent teachings have been explained thoroughly. It is, however, a readers digest version of the complete ancient work and some areas of thought are left lacking. I am just beginning my exegetical study of this book and have found it quite enlightening thus far...I look forward to my time of study in it regularly as I use it to supplement my study of the ancient Holy Scriptures, the Bible.

An Excelent Tour of Jewish Wisdom and Tradition:
This is the best book for beginners I have found on the Talmud, a complicated subject. It gives even-handed coverage and explanations organized by topic. The quotes are sometimes organized poorly and I wish it were cross-referenced better, but it is nonetheless a good read for any curious about this centuries-old body of literature.