Re: Copy of Talmud, please?

[Daniel Walker <walker...>]

First of all, this message has nothing to do with Jewish music. It might
have been more appropriate over on soc.culture.jewish, but I'll try to do
what I can to help you out anyway. If I don't answer your question
adequitely, please feel free to reply to me privately via EMail.

At 11:30 PM 6/22/95, parkes wrote:
>  I am not Jewish, but would like an English version of the Talmud.  Can
>anybody out there tell me how to obtain such a book?

There have been several translations. You won't find it as "a book"; it
will appear in SEVERAL volumes. In the original languages (Aramaic, Hebrew
and a few transliterated Greek words thrown-in on rare occasion) it takes
1.5 meters of shelf space in my synagogue library. If you add translation
and commentary, you'll see that you're not looking for a small reference.

Check your local BookStar or BookStop (same chain, different names in
different areas of the country) in the Judaic area of the Religion section
and you should find a few volumes from the Adin Steinsaltz translation
still in progress.

Again, it is NOT a small matter to study Jewish law, especially to someone
without a Jewish background. Its discussions are not organized in a linear
train of thought. When there are differences of opinion on a legal matter,
BOTH majority and minority opinions are listed and "later" decisions may be
based on the minority opinion as well as the majority opinion. You would be
probably be better-off reading a book ABOUT the Talmud to start with.

>  Actually, I'm looking for the 5th book of Moses.

Er, uh, let's see...
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy... that's five. You should
be able to find Deuteronomy in any English Bible translation. This seems
like too simple a question. Were you perhaps looking for something else?

>  I'm out in San Diego, CA and go to SDSU - for some reason the library
>doesn't have a copy.

Unless SDSU has a religious studies program that includes intensive Judaic
studies, there would be little need for such an extensive and expensive
reference in their library.

---
Ignotum per ignotius.
---
The simplest way to stop a flamewar is to breathe deeply, swallow
your bile and just LET an idiot have the last word.  -- Me
Daniel Wa1ker - walker (at) usit(dot)net - Quark XPress (QUARKXPR) list co-owner