In Praise of Talmud

The Talmud has been praised for its need, its morality and wisodm.
Its knowledge helps also bridging faith and science.
Praise by notable persons, medium
Praise for the Talmud found (among others):
* In 1930, professor Albert Einstein Praised "Effort to Make Talmud Accessible," Adding that "that the high cultural values of the Talmud should not be lost to modern minds..."
* In PBS - about "the ancient wisdom found in the Talmud."
* By Bill Moyers
* In the New York Times in an article: "So the Torah Is a Parenting Guide?"
* The Dalai Lama - "A teacher of Talmud showed the Dalai Lama our postbiblical work of law."
From his book: "as the Talmud says, that “Everything God does, He does for the best."
* Barack Obama
From a text of his speech: The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."
In general
Historian Rabbi Berel Wein puts it: "There is no intellectual work known to the human world that is even similar to the Mishnah and its companion work, the Talmud." and that: "The Talmud is a book of godly personalities and deep insight into the human condition and the world. It is a book of love, of compassion, of striving spirituality and also of withering candor."
Need for Talmud to explain the Bible
One of the classic examples of a common error when interpreting the Bible not with the help of Talmudic teaching, is the famous:'An Eye for an Eye.' The commonly misconception about the Bible's text: 'An eye for an Eye' - literally, The Talmud, however, explains that it does not mean—at all-- 'taking someone's eye out as a 'retaliation' or 'punishment,' but rather merely a (high) penalty in monetary payments.
Indeed "contrary to the Talmud, Karaites interpret "an eye for an eye" literally and are unwilling to accept financial" payments.
Despite supposed "disconnection" from the Talmud, Karaites took many parts of the oral law Talmud and Halakha, such are some of their laws of shekhita slughtering an animal.
One of the evidences within the Bible to the Oral law is in Deuteronomy 12 states "you shall kill of your herd and of your flock which G-d Lord has given you, as I have commanded you," yet the only earlier commandment given by the Torah is "you shall not eat the blood."
Rabbi A. Levy gives many examples of 'why the Oral Law is needed One on the list is the Sabbath observing,
The Bible says, Exodus 31:12-16: 31:12 God told Moses
to speak to the Israelites and say to them:
You must still keep My Sabbaths. It is a sign between Me and you for all generations, to make you realize that I, God, am making you holy.
keep the Sabbath as something sacred to you...
The Israelites shall thus keep the Sabbath, making it a day of rest for all generations, as an eternal covenant.
Now how do you in fact "keep" the Sabbath?
Also, while on that topic, the Bible says: in Exodus 20:8-11 Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy. .
20:9 You can work during the six weekdays and do all your tasks.
20:10 But Saturday is the Sabbath to God your Lord. Do not do anything that constitutes work...
20:11 It was during the six weekdays that God made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on Saturday. God therefore blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
As it is, without the explanatory Oral Law, What is "remembering?" How do you "remember," what exactly does "work" mean in this context, who defines that? what does is it mean "holy" and How do you sanctify it?
One of the classic examples is also the concept of "Kri/Ktiv," since the Torah, is written without vowels (the Hebrew vowels are composed of dots, not included in the written Torah, one needs help in revealing true meaning of words). Among the otherwise confusing cases is for instance the case in Genesis 34:3 "Becoming deeply attached to Jacob's daughter Dinah, he fell in love with the girl, and tried to make up with her." which is spelled na'ar as in masculin instead of naa'rah feminine.
Morality and wisdom
Author Madison Clinton Peters in 'Wit and wisdom of the Talmud' cited over 500 other proverbs and adages come together, under 22 headings such as adversity, ambition, ancestry, anger, business, charity, death, friendship, home life, honesty, immortality, labor, love, money, and truth. Examples include: “The house that does not open to the poor shall open to the physician.” “To have no faithful friends is worse than death.” “Too many captains sink the ship.” “Good deeds are better than creeds.” “The sensible man drinks only when he is thirsty.” "The noblest of all charities is in enabling the poor to earn a livelihood." "He who wishes to be forgiven must forgive." "Actions speak louder than words." " Judge a man by his deeds, not by his words."
The "golden rule" is based in the Talmud.
It was then that Hillel, in order to define Jewish law in one sentence, coined his most famous dictum: "Do not unto others that which you would not have them do unto you. That is the entire Torah; the rest is commentary."
Personal morality in the Talmud is concerned with man himself, and not only with the social consequences of his actions.
Some ethic examples from the Talmud:
* Be among the disciples of Aaron: Love peace and pursue peace; Love all fellow creatures,
And bring' them near to the Torah. - Talmud - Avot (Hillel)
* "Do not unto others that which you would not have them do unto you. That is the entire Torah; the rest is commentary." (Hillel) Talmud - Shabbat 31
* "Who is a wise man? He who learns of all men." Talmud - Avot 4:1
* "Be a tail to lions rather than a head to jackals." . Talmud - Avot 4:20
* "Receive - Embrace All Human Beings with Cheer and Joy." Talmud - Avot 3:16
* "By three things is the world preserved: by truth, by judgment and by peace." Talmud - Avot 1:18
* "Be the first to greed, all human beings." Talmud - Avot 4:20
* In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man (acting good). Talmud - Avot 2:6
* "The end result of wisdom is... good deeds."
* "The highest form of wisdom is kindness." Talmud - Brakhot 17a
* "Whoever is compassionate on creatures gets compassion from heaven above (the Almighty)." Talmud - Shabbat
* "If a person gives his friend all the gifts in the world with a sour face, he has given him nothing. But one who receives his friend with a cheerful face, even if he has given him nothing else, has given him the greatest gift in the world." Talmud - Avot R.N. 33:4
* "The greatest hero is one who turns their enemy into a friend." Talmud - Avot R.N. 23
* Civility is, indeed, a Torah value. Derakheha darkhei no’am: pleasantness is the hallmark of the path of Torah Judaism. Hevei mekabel et kol ha-adam be-sever panim yafot (Shamai): greet each person with a pleasant demeanor. De-alakh sani le-chaverakh la ta’avid (Hillel): do not do unto others that which you dislike. Talmud - Avot, Shabat 31
* Never expose yourself unnecessarily to danger; a miracle may not save you... and if it does, it will be deducted from your share of luck or merit.
* The Lady 'Bruria' interprets (King David's Psalms 104:35), "Do not (target) say the 'sinners' should vanish, but rather the SINS, Should vanish from earth." The Talmud - Brakhot 10
* Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and whoever resues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world. The Talmud - Mishna, Sanhedrin.
* The Jews are (and obliged to be) Compassionate, Humble and Charitalbe. - The children of Israel share three traits: they are bayshanim modest, rachmanim, merciful, and gomlei chasadim, doers of acts of kindness and generosity. By giving willingly, lovingly, the giver provides a sign that he is part of this nation. Talmud - Beitzah 32, Shabat
* "Say little and Do Much." Talmud - Avot 1
* "On three things the world is sustained: on truth, on judgment, and on peace, as it is it says (Zechariah 8:16): 'Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace.' " Talmud - Avot 1
* "Pray for the peace of your government (wherever your'e at)". Talmud - Avot 3:2
* No labor, however humble, is dishonoring - rather perform the lowest work but don't be dependent on people's charity.
* A quotation at the right moment is like bread to the famished.
* Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, grow, grow.
* Everyone whose deeds are more than his wisdom, his wisdom endures; and everyone whose wisdom is more than his deeds, his wisdom does not endure.
* Fish die when they are out of water, and people die without law and order.
* Greater even than the pious man is he who eats that which is the fruit of his own toil; for scripture declares him twice-blessed.
* Loving kindness is greater than laws; and the charities of life are more than all ceremonies.
* Man has three friends on whose company he relies. First, wealth which goes with him only while good fortune lasts. Second, his relatives; they go only as far as the grave, leave him there. The third friend, his good deeds, go with him beyond the grave.
* Sin is sweet in the beginning, but bitter in the end.

* The deeper the sorrow the less the tongue has it.
* The end result of wisdom is... good deeds.
* The sun will set without thy assistance.
* This is the punishment of a liar: he is not believed, even when he speaks the truth.
* "Honor women because they bring blessing."
* Thy friend has a friend, and thy friend's friend has a friend; be discreet.
* When you teach your son, you teach your son's son.
The Talmud's "signature" is peace, it ends with: (in the very last Mishnah):
* "G-d found no better receptacle for Blessing than the Peace." Talmud - Uktzin
Moral Judgments and respecting women
Gustav Karpeles writes: "The Talmud and its sages never weary of singing the praise of women, and at every occasion inculcate respect for them, and devotion to their service."
Science
The Talmud has been helpful in bridging the sometimes-gap between people of faith and scientists. In "The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom,", physicist Dr. Gerald Schroeder Ph.D bases much of his convergence between science and the (Genesis of the) Bible, upon the Talmud, as he "compares key events from the Old Testament with the most current findings of biochemists, paleontologists, and physicists, arguing that the latest science and a close reading of the Bible are not just compatible but interdependent." He's Regarded as an "important voice in the raging debate between science and religion, and his insights into miracles, the origins of the universe, the origins of life on Earth, and the meaning of free will make The Science of God more relevant than ever." His work has been reported in "Time, Newsweek, Scientific American," and in leading newspapers around the world.
Further reading
Talmud quotes
Pirkei Avot

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See Also

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