Steinsaltz Adin - A Beginners Guide to the Steinsaltz Talmud

Judith Z. Abrams is a woman with a mission: She wants to bring the beauty of Talmud to as many people, and with as much depth, as possible. To that end, she has published many books on rabbinic literature, including judaism and Disability: Portrayals in Ancient Texts from the Tanach through the Bavli (Gallaudet University Press), which was the recipient of the Koret Jewish Studies Publication Program Publication Subsidy for 1998, The Talmud for Beginners, Volumes I, II, and III Oason Aronson Inc.), and Leam Talmud: How to Use the Talmud: The Steinsaltz Edition Oason Aronson Inc.). Rabbi Abrams and her husband, Steven, have co-authored jewish Parenting: Rabbinic Insights aason Aronson Inc.) and she has also written a number of childrens books. Rabbi Abrams earned her Ph.D. in rabbinic literature from the Baltimore Hebrew University and teaches across the country. She is the founder and director of Maqom: A School for Adult Talmud Study, where anyone can learn Talmud, regardless of their background. Maqom study materials are available on the Internet (http://www.compassnet.com/-maqom). Rabbi Abrams and her husband live in Houston with their three children, Michael, Ruth, and Hannah.

All beginnings are hard, say the sages (Mekhilta, Parshat Bachodesh 2). This is true evenperhaps I should say especiallywhen it comes to the study of Talmud. We know we ought to want to study, but the Talmud often feels foreign despite our knowing that it belongs to us. This book is designed to help ameliorate the first pangs of Talmud study by presenting Rabbi Steinsaltzs translation with explanations and insights from learners who began with no adult knowledge of Talmud and who became knowledgeable of the text. It is my heartfelt hope that this book will serve as a life preserver for those just learning to swim in the sea of the Talmud.

A book is never just the product of the authors efforts and this fact is particularly true in the case of this book. I would like to thank God for the opportunity to do this work. My great gratitude goes to Arthur Kurzweil for asking me to write this book. I also want to thank the students to whom I have taught this material, especially the Talmud classes at Congregation Emanu El, the Jewish Community Center, and the Federation, all in Houston, Texas; and PARR, the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis. As usual, I have learned more from them than they have learned from me. Thanks also go to Marsha Schneider for her assistance in typing and for helping Maqom to grow and become more efficient. Id like to thank Michael Rubinstein of Houston for his because Im your father, thats why. Finally, I thank my husband, Steven, and our children, Michael, Ruth, and Hannah, for their love and support.

I would like to especially thank the contributors whose insights youll find on these pages. Here are the students you will meet:

Shirley Barish has been in the field of Jewish education for over thirty years. She has authored several books for teachers and writes a teachers newsletter six times a year.

Ken Carr is the assistant rabbi of Congregation Beth Am, Los Altos Hills, California. He endeavors to integrate continuing study into his rabbinic life.

Mark Frydenberg is a software developer and educator. He is a member of the Progressive Chavurah of Boston and Temple Beth Israel of Waltham, Massachusetts, and is currently working on a Siddur project with members of chavurot across North America.

Naomi Mara Hyman is the editor of Biblical Women in the Midrash: A Sourcebook Oason Aronson Inc., 1997) and a rabbinical student in the ALEPH Simcha program.

Robert E. Reichlin is a clinical psychologist specializing in problems of adulthood and aging. He is particularly interested in Talmud, Biblical Hebrew, and the integration of historical and traditional approaches to the study of Torah.

H.J. Stern is an attorney practicing primarily probate and family law in Houston, Texas. He has been studying Talmud for several years.

Stephanie Rosenthal Odie is on a spiritual journey toward a Primary Jewish Life by. engaging in the study of Torah, immersion in prayer, and the performance of mitzvot.

Elizabeth Weinberg is a psychodynamically oriented psychiatrist living in Houston with her husband, a lawyer and musician, as well as two cats and an iguana. She has been studying Talmud for several years.

Except where Rabbi Steinsaltzs edition is cited, or unless otherwise noted, translations are the authors own. Side notes concerning sages, concepts, and language come from Rabbi Steinsaltzs other English language volumes of the Talmud or from his Reference Guide.

Authors Note: The following two pages are the actual introduction by Rabbi Steinsaltz to the Talmud chapter we will be studying.

And if you sell something to your neighbor, or buy something from your neighbors hand, do not oppress one another (Leviticus 25: 14).

And you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God (Leviticus 25: I 7).

You shall neither vex a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Exodus 22:20).

And if a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not vex him (Leviticus 19:33).

T he two principal themes of this chapter are the rules governing the acquisition of movable property, and the laws of onaah (which concern financial and verbal wrongdoing). One of the general questions arising in connection with the laws of acquisition is how and when acquisition takes place - i.e., at precisely what point does the transfer of ownership take effect when property is purchased? Does the buyer gain title to the property as soon as he pays for his purchase, or only after he takes physical possession of the merchandise? If monetary payment cannot effect a sale, does it have any legal validity? And is a verbal agreement between the buyer and the seller in any way binding? The chapter opens with the specific issue of the rules governing an exchange of coins, and deals with a fundamental problem: How is money defined? Is money an absolute concept, which invariably refers to a particular means of acquisition, or is it a relative notion, the definition of which changes with the circumstances? This question has ramifications with regard to the laws of acquisition and of onaah, as well as to the laws of interest (discussed in the next chapter).

The laws of onaah fall into two categories: (I) Monetary wrongdoing, whether because the seller overcharged or the buyer underpaid. (2) Verbal wrongdoing, i.e., taunting other people and hurting their feelings.

Numerous questions arise in connection with the Torahs prohibition against financial wrongdoing: Precisely what is considered overcharging? Does the prohibition apply only if one overcharges a fixed sum (or by a fixed percentage), or even in a case of minimal overcharging? What legal remedies exist when one overcharges or underpays? Is fraud in business an offense punishable in court, or is it merely subject to civil litigation? And is a sale entailing fraud valid, or void? Must the party who was defrauded be reimbursed, and if so, to what extent? Does the prohibition against ana ah apply equally to all people and transactions, or not?

Verbal oppression is also examined. Precisely what is considered verbal wrongdoing? Are there cases where this is permitted, and if so, what are they? Does this prohibition apply equally to all people?

These general issues, along with their specific applications, are dealt with in this chapter.

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