 | Talmud Bavli Tractate Shabbat 31a
| | | A would-be Jewish convert asked Hillel the Elder to teach him the entire Torah "on one foot."
Hillel replied, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. This is the entire Torah. The rest is commentary. Go and study."
| | Talmud Bavli Tractate
Yoma 9b
| | | Why was the First Temple destroyed?
Because there was idolatry, promiscuity and murder.
But the Second Temple...at which time they were occupied in Torah, mitzvoth and charity... why was it destroyed?
Because there was baseless hatred between them.
| | Talmud Bavli Tractate
Arachin 15a
| | | Malicious talk kills three people: the speaker, the listener, and the one who is spoken of.
| | Talmud Bavli Tractate Berachot 40a
| | | Said Rabbi Judah in the name of Rav:
A person is forbidden to eat before he feeds his animals, for it is written (in Deuteronomy 11:15), "I will send grass in your fields for your cattle" and only after that, that you may eat and be sated"
| | Talmud Bavli Tractate Sanhedrin 37a
| | | Whoever saves a single life, is as though he saved an entire world.
| | Talmud Tractate Sotah 10b
| | | One should cast himself into a fiery furnace rather than shame his fellow in public.
| Click Here to Order Rabbi Arthur Segal's Books:
The Handbook to Jewish Spiritual Renewal:
A Path of Transformation for the Modern Jew
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the
Torah and Talmud
| | | | Let's Talk Torah and Talmud
A Holiday Message From Rabbi Arthur Segal's Jewish Spiritual Renewal October 2010
| | Shalom My Dear Chaverim, Talmudim v' Rabbanim:
In last month's message I wrote of the myriad September Jewish Holidays; the last being Simchat Torah, or, Celebration of Torah.
So chag Samaiech Simchat Torah, and of course, a L'shana Tova.
It began on the eve of September 30 and continues through the first day of October.
As it is October's only Jewish Holiday, this month I have an opportunity to answer questions about Torah and other Holy Scriptures.
| |
Years ago I set out on a journey to reclaim my Judaism.
Along that path, I discovered that the reason I'd "lost" it was that I hadn't been understanding much Judaism at all...and I didn't even know it!
To not leave you utterly confused, I need to explain the difference between Hebraism, also known as the religion of the Sadducees, and Rabbinic Judaism, known as the religion of the Pharisees. | | |  | | Judaism or Hebraism? That is the Question.
The word Sadducee comes from the name of Solomon's Temple's High Priest Zadok. They believed in the Torah, priestly intercessors, animal and grain sacrifices, and a G!d Who punishes in this lifetime.
The word Pharisee, comes from the word "perushim" which means to separate. Pharisees believed in prayer with no intercessors, afterlife in corporal resurrection, a messiah, and the entire Jewish Bible including the TaNaK, the Talmud, Midrash, and other Jewish texts.
Their leaders today are called Rabbi (my master), a word derived from the Aramaic, "Rav," which means "master."
A Rav is one who has mastered the Jewish texts and has been granted semicha ordination by his Rabbi. A non-ordained teacher is called Moreh or Morah.
| | | | | The Talmud's explanation of Judaism begins with the destruction of Solomon's Temple in 586 B.C.E. and Ezra's Temple in 70 C.E.
We are traditionally taught that the Talmud - called oral Torah - was given to Moses at the same time that he received the written Torah on Mt. Sinai 3,300 years ago.
With the Temples destroyed the Hebrews had no way to continue their Hebraic worship. They needed a new way to worship and a new life philosophy. So the Rabbinate and Judaism evolved during their Babylonian captivity.
They weren't about to negate the entire Torah, but they did reinterpret it into Talmudic Rabbinic Judaism.
For example, the Talmud teaches us the Jewish way to celebrate Passover, which is quite different from what is outlined for Hebrews in the Torah.
The Talmudic teaching of the rabbis is what we know as Judaism today, and it is a faith of a G!d of love, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and peace, and Who wishes for us to treat our fellows that way.
All of Torah is about kindness, or "chesed." The Talmud teaches that Torah is about loving our fellow. The rest is commentary and we must "go and study."
| | | | | The Jewish Bible is the TaNaK, an acronym standing for the first letters of Torah, Nevi'im and Ketuvim. It contains the Five Books of Moses, the Prophets and the Writings.
The Oral Torah was originally the Mishna, which comes from the Hebrew word for "repeat," as in,the Oral Torah was repeated orally.
It is written in the Hebrew language, but the Rabbinic commentary on Mishna - Gemara - is written in Aramaic. Gemara comes from "mara," which means to learn or study.
The Mishna is succinct. The Gemara is lengthy, often moving off topic. Together, they were put to writing as the Talmud circa 500 C.E.
Midrash are parables that fill in gaps in the TaNaK, for example, what was life like on Noah's Ark. Like the TaNaK, the Talmud and Midrash teach ethical and spiritual lessons.
I give you a more fully exacting explanation in the introduction to my book, A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud.
I invite you to go and study.
| Many Blessings,
Rabbi Arthur Segal
| | | | | | The Torah and Talmud
A Modern Interpretation
In my years of Rabbinic Counseling I've noticed that many modern Jews are not as familiar with the Torah and the Talmud as they might be.
They find it difficult to understand and interpret in a way that makes sense and has relevance to their lives in the modern world.
The spiritual disconnection that this causes inspired me to write a second book, A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud.
 This book instills Jewish values and an understanding of the Torah and Talmud's teachings in plain English and from a modern point of view.
The Talmud teaches that the Torah is about loving our fellow man and that we are to ''go and study.'' The rest is commentary.
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud clarifies the commentary and allows one to study the Torah and the Talmud to learn the Judaic ideals of love, forgiveness, kindness, mercy and peace.
A Spiritual and Ethical Compendium to the Torah and Talmud is only $24.99 (plus S&H) when you purchase your copy from my online bookstore.
That's a $5.00 savings from the Amazon price, and certainly a small amount to pay for the priceless wisdom contained within the Torah and the Talmud.
Click the link below to order.
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