Babylonian Talmud
The Babylonian Talmud — Mishnah with its surrounding Gemara discussions. Michael Levi Rodkinson's nine-volume English translation (1903–1918), the only complete public-domain English Talmud.
Source context· Egyptian-Hebrew stream · Greco-Latin cultural age
- Stream
- Egyptian-Hebrew
- Cultural age
- Greco-Latin (4th post-Atlantean cultural age)
- Composed
- c. 400 CE
- Soul-faculty
- Intellectual Soul
What this work carries
The Babylonian Talmud preserves the oral Torah tradition that descended through the Hebrew prophetic stream from Abraham, Moses, and the post-exilic schools. It carries forward the inner kernel of the Hebrew counter-current within the Egypto-Chaldean epoch: the discipline of monotheistic ego-preparation that Steiner identifies as the vessel for the Christ Event.
Language frame
The work is rabbinic Aramaic-Hebrew dialectic, composed as Mishnah (codified oral law) with surrounding Gemara (juridical and aggadic discussion) by the Babylonian sages over several centuries. Its form is not revelation-text but argumentative commentary, a discursive school-corpus shaped through the Sassanian period.
Steiner’s engagement
- GA 123, 1910-09-09Steiner refers to the Talmud as containing earlier versions of the Lord's Prayer, indicating that prayer-formulae of great antiquity were preserved within the rabbinic tradition prior to the Christ Event.
- GA 167, 1916-05-23Steiner draws on fragments from the Jewish Haggada (the aggadic, narrative material transmitted alongside the Talmudic corpus) to illuminate the spiritual life of past and present humanity.
- GA 87, 1902-02-01Steiner states that without Jewish mysticism — the inner stream out of which both Talmudic and Kabbalistic literature crystallized — no correct understanding of Christianity is possible.
Cross-tradition congruence
- Kabbalah and ZoharThe Talmud forms the exoteric juridical-aggadic counterpart to the esoteric Hebrew stream later codified in the Kabbalistic and Zoharic literature, both rooted in the same Mosaic transmission.
- Hermetic CorpusAs a textual sediment of the Egypto-Hebrew stream, the Talmud parallels the Hermetica in that both preserve mystery-school material in literary form after the corresponding oral mysteries had waned.
- 1Dedication — Vol I — Dedication
Rodkinson's dedication of his New Edition translation of the Babylonian Talmud (1903 first volume). The frame for the entire nine-volume Boston Talmud Society edition.
89 words - 2Preface to the Second Edition — Vol I — Preface to the Second Edition
Rodkinson's preface to the second edition of Vol I. Addresses the reception of the first edition; clarifies the editorial principles; defends the abridgement (the New Edition omits much of the discursive Gemara to focus on the legal substance).
366 words - 3Editor's Preface — Vol I — Editor's Preface
The editor's preface establishing the principles of the New Edition translation: the marking of Tenan/Tania/Itemar formulae; the treatment of Lishna achrena; the punctuation conventions; the role of round and square brackets for Rashi and later commentators.
2,495 words - 4Brief General Introduction to the Babylonian Talmud — Vol I — Brief General Introduction to the Babylonian Talmud
The introductory essay placing the Babylonian Talmud in context. The Mishnah of c. 200 CE; the Babylonian and Palestinian Gemaras; the structure (Mishnah + Gemara); the relation of the New Edition's selective translation to the unabridged original.
1,706 words - 5Introduction to Tract Sabbath — Vol I — Introduction to Tract Sabbath
Introduction to Tract Sabbath (Shabbat) — the first tractate translated. The biblical foundations (Fourth Commandment); the thirty-nine avot melakhot (principal categories of forbidden labour) derived from the Tabernacle's construction; the rabbinic fence of supplementary prohibitions.
2,710 words - 6Synopsis of Subjects — Vol I — Synopsis of Subjects (Tract Sabbath)
Rodkinson's synopsis of the subjects treated in Tract Sabbath. Useful navigation-aid mapping the topical content across the 24 chapters that follow.
3,123 words - 7Chapter I: Regulations Regarding Transfer on Sabbath — Sabbath Ch I — Transfer between domains on the Sabbath
Opens Tract Sabbath. The classical four domains (public, private, karmelit, exempt) and the rules governing transfer between them. The foundational labour-category (hotza'ah) on which all other Sabbath-prohibitions rest.
13,559 words - 8Chapter II: Regulations Concerning The Sabbath And 'Hanukah Light — Sabbath Ch II — Sabbath and Hanukkah lights
Regulations concerning the Sabbath light (Ner Shabbat) and the Hanukkah light. The wicks and oils permitted for kindling; the placement of the Hanukkah menorah; the precedence rules when Hanukkah falls on the Sabbath.
14,396 words - 9Chapter III: Regulations Concerning Stoves, Hearths, and Ovens — Sabbath Ch III — Stoves, hearths, and ovens
Regulations concerning the heating apparatus on the Sabbath: which kinds of stoves may be left burning, what may be left to cook, the prohibition of bishul (cooking) and its many derived sub-cases.
8,914 words - 10Chapter IV: Regulations Concerning Victuals, Where They May or May Not Be Deposited to Retain Their Heat for the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch IV — Where victuals may be deposited
Regulations concerning where food may and may not be deposited on the Sabbath to keep warm. The various containers and substances and the rabbinic anxiety lest re-heating cross into forbidden cooking.
3,445 words - 11Chapter V: Regulations Concerning What May and May Not Be Worn by Animals on the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch V — What animals may wear on the Sabbath
Regulations concerning what may and may not be worn by animals on the Sabbath. The animals partake of the Sabbath rest; what is considered burden (forbidden) versus what is considered adornment or protection (permitted).
7,086 words - 12Chapter VI: Regulations Concerning What Garments Women May Go Out With On the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch VI — Women's garments and ornaments
Regulations concerning what garments and ornaments women (and men) may go out wearing on the Sabbath. The distinction between actual garments and what counts as carried object; the disputes over particular ornaments and their classification.
8,717 words - 13Chapter VII: The General Rule Concerning the Principal Acts of Labor on Sabbath — Sabbath Ch VII — The thirty-nine principal labours
The classical chapter enumerating the thirty-nine principal acts of labour (avot melakhot) forbidden on the Sabbath, derived from the construction of the Tabernacle. The doctrinal foundation of the entire halakhah of Sabbath.
6,727 words - 14Chapter VIII: Regulations Concerning the Prescribed Quantities of Victuals and Beverages Which Must Not Be Carried About on the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch VIII — Prescribed quantities for labour-categories
Regulations concerning the prescribed quantities of victuals and of various substances — the minimum amount the carrying or transporting of which constitutes the forbidden act. The legal-mechanical specification of the abstract labour-categories.
4,981 words - 15Chapter IX: Rabbi Aqiba's Regulations On Different Subjects — Sabbath Ch IX — R. Aqiba's Sabbath regulations
Miscellaneous regulations attributed to R. Aqiba — the great early-second-century master to whom many distinctive halakhic positions are traced. The chapter that gathers diverse sub-topics under his authority.
7,622 words - 16Chapter X: Further Regulations Concerning The Prescribed Quantity of Things To Be Stored — Sabbath Ch X — Further quantity regulations
Continuation of the quantity-of-substance rules from Ch VIII, with further sub-cases — particular substances whose minimum forbidden amount required additional specification.
5,331 words - 17Explanatory Remarks — Vol I — Explanatory Remarks (interpolated)
Interpolated explanatory remarks from Rodkinson clarifying technical translation choices. Often consists of editorial notes that did not fit cleanly within the chapter divisions.
158 words - 18Synopsis of Subjects of Volume II.--Tract Sabbath — Vol I — Synopsis of Vol II (continued Tract Sabbath)
Synopsis of the chapters of Tract Sabbath that continue into Vol II of the original Hebrew edition (=chapters XI through XXIV in the present English numbering). Navigation-aid for the second half of Sabbath.
3,430 words - 19Chapter XI. Regulations Concerning Throwing From One Ground Into Another. — Sabbath Ch XI — Throwing between domains
Regulations concerning throwing from one ground (domain) to another on the Sabbath. The case of objects thrown rather than carried; the minimum distances and the classification of throws by trajectory and intent.
6,719 words - 20Chapter XII: Regulations Concerning Building, Ploughing, etc., On the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch XII — Building, ploughing, and related labours
Regulations concerning building, ploughing, and the related construction-derived labours that constitute the heart of the melakhot derived from the Tabernacle's erection. Minimum measures and contested sub-cases.
3,580 words - 21Chapter XIII: Regulations Concerning Weaving, Tearing, Hunting, etc., on the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch XIII — Weaving, tearing, hunting
Regulations concerning weaving, tearing of cloth, and hunting. The textile labours derived from the Tabernacle's curtains and the hunting-related labours derived from the procuring of the skins.
2,332 words - 22Chapter XIV: Regulations Concerning the Catching of Reptiles, Animals and Birds — Sabbath Ch XIV — Catching reptiles and similar trapping
Regulations concerning the catching of reptiles on the Sabbath and similar trapping-cases. The general principle of tzedah (trapping) applied to small creatures; the medical exceptions for dangerous animals.
4,760 words - 23Chapter XV: Regulations Concerning the Tying and Untying of Knots on the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch XV — Knots: tying and untying
Regulations concerning the tying and untying of knots on the Sabbath. The classical camel-driver's and boatman's knots that incur guilt; the distinction between permanent knots (forbidden) and temporary knots (permitted).
4,009 words - 24Chapter XVI: Regulations Concerning Articles Which May be Saved From a Conflagration on Sabbath — Sabbath Ch XVI — Saving articles from fire
Regulations concerning articles which may and may not be saved from a Sabbath conflagration. The priority of saving sacred writings; the limits on saving personal property; the principle that life-saving overrides all Sabbath restrictions.
11,981 words - 25Chapter XVII: Regulations Concerning Handling of Utensils and Furniture on the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch XVII — Handling of utensils (muktzah)
Regulations concerning the handling of utensils on the Sabbath. The doctrine of muktzah — categories of objects that may not be handled because they are set aside (have no permitted Sabbath use); the distinctions among utensils used for permitted and forbidden labours.
4,339 words - 26Chapter XVIII: Regulations Regarding the Clearing Off of Required Space, the Assistance To Be Given Cattle When Giving Birth To Their Young and To Women About To Be Confined — Sabbath Ch XVIII — Clearing off (for guests, for childbirth)
Regulations regarding the clearing off of stored substances on the Sabbath — when it is permitted to move quantities of straw or grain to make room for guests, for disciples studying Torah, or for the laboring woman.
5,450 words - 27Chapter XIX: Regulations Ordained by R. Eliezer Concerning Circumcision on the Sabbath — Sabbath Ch XIX — R. Eliezer on circumcision-on-Sabbath
Regulations ordained by R. Eliezer concerning the brit milah that falls on the Sabbath. The labours permitted for the eighth-day circumcision; the principle of over-riding the Sabbath for biblical obligations whose time is fixed.
9,336 words - 28Chapter XX: Regulations Concerning Certain Acts of Labor Which Must be Performed Differently on a Sabbath and on a Festival — Sabbath Ch XX — Filtering and straining on Sabbath
Regulations concerning certain acts of labour — chiefly filtering and straining of liquids on the Sabbath. The distinction between separating mixed kinds (the forbidden borer) and ordinary food-preparation.
5,739 words - 29Chapter XXI: Regulations Concerning the Pouring Out of Wine From Vessels Covered With a Stone (Which Must Not Be Lifted), and the Clearing Off of Crumbs, etc., From the Table — Sabbath Ch XXI — Indirect carrying and pouring of wine
Regulations concerning the pouring out of wine and related cases of indirect carrying — when a forbidden act is committed only by extension or implication, and how the legal classification operates in such derived cases.
2,403 words - 30Chapter XXII: Regulations Concerning Preparation of Food and Beverages — Sabbath Ch XXII — Salvage from a broken cask
Regulations concerning preparation of food on the Sabbath after damage to its container. Three-meals'-worth may be saved from a broken cask; the owner may call others to save for themselves; the lenient treatment of accidental damage.
6,358 words - 31Chapter XXIII: Borrowing, Casting Lots, Waiting for the Close of the Sabbath, and Attending to a Corpse — Sabbath Ch XXIII — Borrowing without commercial language
Regulations concerning borrowing on the Sabbath without commercial language; casting lots; waiting for the close of the Sabbath. The disciplines that keep Sabbath-rest from being eroded by quasi-commercial transaction.
9,417 words - 32Chapter XXVI: Regulations Concerning a Man Who is Overtaken by Dusk on the Eve of Sabbath While Travelling, and Concerning Feeding of Cattle. — Sabbath Ch XXIV — The traveller overtaken by dusk
Closes Tract Sabbath. Regulations concerning a man overtaken by Sabbath-dusk on the road. He gives his purse to a heathen; failing that, places it on his ass; failing that, drops it. The graduated lenities for the wayfarer.
7,261 words - 33The Prayer at the Conclusion of a Tract — Vol I — Prayer at the Conclusion of a Tract (Hadran)
The traditional Hadran prayer recited upon completing a tractate of Talmud. We shall return unto thee, Tractate, and thou shalt return unto us; we shall not forget thee, Tractate, and thou shalt not forget us. The mutual-vow that closes every completed seder of study.
961 words - 34Appendix — Vol I — Appendix
Editorial appendix to Vol I. Supplementary material — chiefly textual notes, cross-references to other tractates, and editorial discussions deferred from the main chapters.
4,256 words - 35Explanatory Remarks — Vol II — Explanatory Remarks and Title Page (Erubin, Shekalim, Rosh Hashanah)
Opens Vol II. Rodkinson's standard Explanatory Remarks repeated; the title-page of the volume covering Tract Erubin (the third of the Sabbath series), Tract Shekalim, and Tract Rosh Hashanah.
226 words - 36Introduction to Tract Erubin — Vol II — Introduction to Tract Erubin
Introduction to Tract Erubin (the combinings — the rabbinic device by which the boundaries of permitted Sabbath-carrying are extended). Erubin is virtually the third of the Sabbath series; its laws are mostly rabbinical rather than directly biblical.
914 words - 37Synopsis of Tract Erubin — Vol II — Synopsis of Tract Erubin
Rodkinson's synopsis of the ten chapters of Tract Erubin. Navigation-aid for the subjects treated in detail in the chapters that follow.
4,185 words - 38Chapter I: Size of Erubin — Erubin Ch I — The size of erubin (combinings)
Opens Tract Erubin. The dimensions of the erub — the symbolic combining of domains by means of a beam (korah) or post (lehi) at an alleyway's mouth, or by shared bread, which extends the Sabbath-domain.
17,719 words - 39Chapter II: Use of Wells and Gardens on the Sabbath — Erubin Ch II — Use of wells and gardens on the Sabbath
Regulations concerning the use of wells, gardens, and similar enclosed spaces on the Sabbath. The application of the erub-mechanism to specific cases of partly-enclosed agricultural property.
9,753 words - 40Chapter III: Location of Erubin and Limits on Sabbath Travel. — Erubin Ch III — Location of the erub; Sabbath-travel limits
Regulations concerning where the erub-bread may be placed and the technical aspects of the tehum Shabbat — the 2000-cubit Sabbath-travel limit measured from one's place at the onset of the Sabbath.
14,254 words - 41Chapter IV: Sabbath Travel — Erubin Ch IV — Sabbath-travel limits in detail
Detailed regulations concerning the Sabbath-travel limit (tehum) — how it is measured, how it is extended by erub, what happens when one is overtaken outside it, and how the limits apply in different topographies.
12,056 words - 42Chapter V: Town Boundaries and Legal Limits — Erubin Ch V — Town boundaries and legal limits
Regulations concerning the boundaries of towns for purposes of the Sabbath-limit. How the city walls are extended for erub-calculation; how the karpef (enclosed area outside the city) is treated; the legal-cartographic principles.
11,440 words - 43Chapter VI: Erubin of Courts and Partnerships — Erubin Ch VI — Erubin of courts and partnerships
Regulations concerning the erub of courts — the shared bread that makes a common courtyard into a single domain for Sabbath-carrying purposes. The partnership-cases where neighbors create an erub by joint contribution.
15,446 words - 44Chapter VII: Erubin in Courts and Alleys — Erubin Ch VII — Erubin in courts and alleys
Regulations concerning the application of the erub to alleyways (mavoy) opening onto a public domain. The technical structures (post, beam, side-wall) that convert an alley into a private domain for Sabbath purposes.
8,612 words - 45Chapter VIII: Erubin of Limits, Food Required for Erubin, Erubin of Courts — Erubin Ch VIII — Food required for erub
Regulations concerning the food required to constitute a valid erub — what kinds and quantities; how the food is treated after the Sabbath; what happens if the food is consumed before the Sabbath begins.
7,146 words - 46Chapter IX: Combining of Roofs on Sabbath — Erubin Ch IX — Combining of roofs
Regulations concerning the combining of roofs of adjacent buildings for Sabbath-carrying purposes. The technical question of when roofs form a single domain and when they remain separate.
5,950 words - 47Chapter X: Sundry Sabbath Regulations. — Erubin Ch X — Sundry Sabbath regulations
Closes Tract Erubin. Miscellaneous Sabbath regulations not fitting the previous chapters' thematic organisation — gathered here in the customary closing-chapter pattern of Talmudic tractate structure.
11,210 words - 48Explanatory Remarks — Vol II — Explanatory Remarks (interpolated)
Editorial interpolated explanatory remarks between tractates within Vol II. Standard editorial notes on translation conventions.
178 words - 49Preface to Tract Shekalim — Vol II — Preface to Tract Shekalim
Preface to Tract Shekalim (Half-shekels) — concerning the annual half-shekel offering required of each adult male Israelite for the support of the Temple, biblical basis Exodus 30:11-16. Tract Shekalim is the only tractate of Seder Moed for which there is Palestinian but no Babylonian Gemara.
503 words - 50Tract Shekalim: Synopsis of Subjects — Vol II — Synopsis of Tract Shekalim
Synopsis of the eight chapters of Tract Shekalim that follow.
2,309 words - 51Chapter I. — Shekalim Ch I — The collection of the half-shekels
Opens Tract Shekalim. The proclamation on the first of Adar concerning the half-shekel; the dates by which the collection must be made; who is obligated, who is exempt; the children whose parents made the contribution.
20,766 words - 52Chapter II. — Shekalim Ch II — The collection-chambers
The collection-chambers of the Temple where the half-shekels were stored; the Lishkat Hashtokin (chamber of secret offerings); the disbursement of the funds; the question of remainder funds and their disposition.
5,831 words - 53Chapter III. — Shekalim Ch III — The three withdrawal-times of the year
The three times each year when the Temple treasury was opened to withdraw funds for the public sacrifices — before Pesach, before Atzeret (Shavuot), and before Sukkot. The procedure; the dignified attire of the priest who entered the chamber.
5,274 words - 54Chapter IV. — Shekalim Ch IV — Uses of the half-shekel collection
The uses to which the half-shekel collection was put: the daily public offerings, the festival offerings, the additional offerings, the red heifer, the scapegoat, and the various other communal expenses.
8,470 words - 55Chapter V. — Shekalim Ch V — Officers and overseers of the Temple
The fifteen officers of the Temple and their specific functions: the Memunim over the various departments — the lots, the seals, the libations, the music, the bread of presence, the curtain, the priestly garments.
1,754 words - 56Chapter VI. — Shekalim Ch VI — The thirteen shofarot and the thirteen tables
The thirteen shofarot (trumpet-shaped collection boxes) in the Temple court and the contributions specific to each; the thirteen tables for the priestly meal-offerings; the thirteen prostrations of the festival-goer entering the Temple.
1,503 words - 57Chapter VII. — Shekalim Ch VII — Found objects in the Temple
Regulations concerning objects found in the Temple precincts: money, animals, sacrificial materials. The disposition of unattributed sacred property; the principle of caution that governs handling of any item that might be sanctified.
1,389 words - 58Chapter VIII. — Shekalim Ch VIII — Closing regulations on Temple administration
Closes Tract Shekalim. Closing regulations on Temple administration — found spittle and bones; the rule that any saliva in the Temple street is presumed pure; the treatment of bloodstains and similar substances.
1,376 words - 59Introduction to Tract Rosh Hashana (New Year's Day) — Vol II — Introduction to Tract Rosh Hashanah
Introduction to Tract Rosh Hashanah — concerning the New Year, the Day of Judgment. The four New Years (for kings, for the tithe of cattle, for trees, for the year-count); the procedure of witness-testimony for the new moon; the shofar.
1,516 words - 60Synopsis of Subjects of Tract Rosh Hashana — Vol II — Synopsis of Tract Rosh Hashanah
Synopsis of Tract Rosh Hashanah. (In the New Edition, the chapter-by-chapter content of Rosh Hashanah is not fully translated; this synopsis serves as the topical guide.)
2,855 words - 61Explanatory Remarks — Vol III — Explanatory Remarks and Title Page (Pesachim, Yoma, Chagigah)
Opens Vol III. Title-page covering Tract Pesachim (Passover), Tract Yoma (Day of Atonement), and Tract Chagigah (Festival-offerings).
171 words - 62Synopsis of Subjects — Vol III — Synopsis of Subjects (Pesachim)
Synopsis of the ten chapters of Tract Pesachim concerning the Passover sacrifice, the unleavened bread, and the laws of the seder-night.
3,265 words - 63Chapter I. Concerning the Removal of Leaven from the House — Pesachim Ch I — The removal of leaven from the house
Opens Tract Pesachim. The bedikat chametz — the search for and removal of leaven from the house on the eve of Passover. The candle, the search, the burning; the disposal of remaining chametz.
12,861 words - 64Chapter II: Time for Eating Unleavened Bread and Material Used for Making Unleavened Bread and Bitter Herbs — Pesachim Ch II — Eating matzah; permitted materials
Regulations concerning the times for eating unleavened bread (matzah) and the materials from which it may be made. The five grains that are subject to leavening; the parallel five from which matzah may be made; what may not be used.
16,571 words - 65Chapter III: Regulations Concerning Articles Which Cause Transgression of the Law Prohibiting Leaven to be Seen or Found in the House of an Israelite. — Pesachim Ch III — Articles that cause leavening
Regulations concerning articles which cause leavening (chametz) or which contain leaven in mixture. The complex cases of liquids, dyes, and pastes that contain leavening agents; the principles of nullification.
6,822 words - 66Chapter IV: Regulations Concerning Work Which May and Must not be Performed on the Day Before Passover — Pesachim Ch IV — Work on the day before Passover
Regulations concerning work which may and may not be done on the day before Passover. The custom of local communities; the half-day of work-cessation; the rules for craftsmen who must complete urgent jobs.
9,634 words - 67Chapter V: Regulations Concerning the Sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb — Pesachim Ch V — The Paschal sacrifice in the Temple
Regulations concerning the Paschal sacrifice in its Temple-period observance. The three groups who entered the Temple in succession on the afternoon of the 14th; the slaughtering; the receiving of the blood; the burning of the fat; the Hallel sung.
7,974 words - 68Chapter VI: Regulations Concerning Acts Which Supersede the Due Observance of the Sabbath; The Paschal Offering; What if One Sacrifice is Confounded with Another — Pesachim Ch VI — Acts superseding the Sabbath for Passover
Regulations concerning acts which supersede the Sabbath when Passover falls on the Sabbath. The biblical command of the Paschal sacrifice overrides the Sabbath; the legal mechanism by which this exception operates.
7,467 words - 69Chapter VII: Roasting the Paschal Lamb; If the Paschal Lamb Becomes Defiled; Parts of Lamb Eaten — Pesachim Ch VII — Roasting the Paschal lamb
Regulations concerning the roasting of the Paschal lamb. The exclusively roasted preparation (no boiling); the spit of pomegranate wood; what to do if the lamb becomes impure or unfit before being eaten.
13,283 words - 70Chapter VIII: Those Obligated to Eat the Paschal Sacrifice; Where It May Be Eaten; Companies Appointed to Eat It; Difference Between First and Second Passover — Pesachim Ch VIII — Those obligated to eat the Paschal sacrifice
Regulations concerning who is obligated to eat the Paschal sacrifice: the householders enrolled in the chaburah (group); the inclusion of women, slaves, and minors; the exclusion of the uncircumcised and the impure.
8,192 words - 71Chapter IX: The Second Passover; Passover during Exodus; Mixed Paschal Sacrifices — Pesachim Ch IX — The Second Passover; the Exodus Passover
Regulations concerning the Pesach Sheni (Second Passover, one month later, for those unable to keep the first); the special character of the original Egyptian Passover; mixed cases where animals from different households are confounded.
7,984 words - 72Chapter X: The Meal on the Eve of Passover and the Four Cups of Wine — Pesachim Ch X — The Seder meal and the four cups
The famous closing chapter on the Seder meal — the ritualised retelling of the Exodus, the four cups of wine, the four questions, the four sons, the eating of the matzah and the bitter herbs, the Hallel and the closing benedictions. The foundation of the surviving Passover liturgy.
22,005 words - 73Appendix A — Vol III — Appendix A to Pesachim
Editorial appendix supplementing Tract Pesachim with material on customs, variants of the Seder liturgy, and editorial notes on textual cruxes.
1,820 words - 74Appendix B — Vol III — Appendix B to Pesachim
A further editorial appendix to Pesachim, gathering supplementary notes that did not fit the main chapter divisions.
521 words - 75Explanatory Remarks — Vol III — Explanatory Remarks (between Pesachim and Yoma)
Editorial Explanatory Remarks interpolated between Tract Pesachim and Tract Yoma.
165 words - 76Dedications — Vol III — Dedications
Dedications particular to Vol III of the New Edition.
1,356 words - 77Introduction to Tract Yomah — Vol III — Introduction to Tract Yoma
Introduction to Tract Yoma (the Day — the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur). The biblical basis (Leviticus 16); the Temple-period observance of the High Priest's service in the Holy of Holies; the long preparation of the priest.
1,863 words - 78Synopsis of Subjects, Tract Yomah — Vol III — Synopsis of Tract Yoma
Synopsis of the eight chapters of Tract Yoma.
2,143 words - 79Chapter I: The Preparations of the High Priest — Yoma Ch I — Preparations of the High Priest
Opens Tract Yoma. The seven-day preparation of the High Priest before Yom Kippur — separated from his house, lodged in the Temple chamber; the elders' instruction; the Mishneh (deputy) standing by in case of mishap.
12,972 words - 80Chapter II: The Lots Priests Drew, Which Priests Should go to the Altar, How Many Priests Needed for Each Sacrifice — Yoma Ch II — The priestly lots
The lots drawn by the priests to determine which would perform each ritual function on Yom Kippur — clearing the ashes from the altar, slaughtering the daily offering, bringing the incense, kindling the lamps. The procedure of fairness in service-allocation.
4,295 words - 81Chapter III: Time of the Daily Offering; Entry of a Layman into the Temple Court; Order of High-Priests' Service on Day of Atonement — Yoma Ch III — Daily offering on Yom Kippur
The timing of the daily tamid offering on Yom Kippur; the entry of a layman where only priests should be; the High Priest's first immersion of the day; the change from white linen to gold and back to white.
8,146 words - 82Chapter IV: The Two Goats — Yoma Ch IV — The two goats; the Azazel
The two goats of Yom Kippur — one for YHWH (sacrificed in the Temple), one for Azazel (sent into the wilderness). The lots cast; the red ribbon tied; the despatch of the scapegoat into the rocky wilderness.
4,925 words - 83Chapter V: Remaining Services of the High-Priest — Yoma Ch V — Remaining services of the High Priest
The High Priest's remaining services on Yom Kippur — the burning of the incense in the Holy of Holies (the only day of the year anyone entered there), the sprinkling of the blood, the closing of the Avodah.
8,242 words - 84Chapter VI: Regulations Concerning the He-Goats of the Day of Atonement And the Sending to the Desert, And the Confession Thereat. — Yoma Ch VI — The despatch of the scapegoat
Detailed regulations concerning the Azazel he-goat: the man appointed to take it into the wilderness; the cliff from which it was pushed; the red ribbon that turned white as a sign that the atonement had been accepted (Isaiah 1:18).
4,572 words - 85Chapter VII: The Passages Read by the High-Priest and his Garments — Yoma Ch VII — Scripture readings by the High Priest
The Scripture passages read by the High Priest on Yom Kippur — Leviticus 16, the atonement portion. The High Priest's exiting from the Holy of Holies and the people's prostration as he pronounced the divine name.
6,005 words - 86Chapter VIII: Regulations Concerning Fasting on the Day of Atonement; What May Be Done Thereon, And What May Not Be Done. — Yoma Ch VIII — Fasting and the five afflictions
Closes Yoma. The five innuyim (afflictions) of Yom Kippur observed by all Israel: no eating or drinking, no washing, no anointing, no wearing of leather shoes, no marital relations. The medical exceptions; the principle that Yom Kippur atones for sins between man and God, but not between man and man.
14,053 words - 87Appendix — Vol III — Appendix between Yoma and Chagigah
Editorial appendix between Tract Yoma and Tract Chagigah.
2,288 words - 88Chapter I: Regulations Concerning the Holocaust, and the Appointed Time for the Peace-Offering — Chagigah Ch I — Festival offerings
Opens Tract Chagigah (Festival-offerings). Regulations concerning the festival burnt offering (olat re'iyah) and the festival peace offering (shalmei chagigah) brought on the three pilgrimage festivals; who is obligated; the minimum amounts.
9,143 words - 89Chapter II: Regulations Concerning Public Lectures: Which Are And Which Are Not Allowed. — Chagigah Ch II — Public lectures and esoteric topics
The famous chapter on what may be publicly expounded and what may not. The forbidden subjects of public lecture: the Ma'aseh Bereshit (work of creation, before more than one), the Ma'aseh Merkavah (work of the divine chariot, before even one). The Talmudic source of Jewish esoteric discretion.
10,481 words - 90Chapter III: In What Cases Sacred Things Are More Rigorous Than Heave-Offerings, And Vice Versa — Chagigah Ch III — When sacred things are more rigorous
Closes Vol III. Regulations on the cases in which the laws of sacred things are more rigorous than corresponding non-sacred cases — and the cases in which they are not. The principles of kal va-chomer (a fortiori) applied to sacred and ordinary classifications.
4,620 words - 91Explanatory Remarks — Vol IV — Explanatory Remarks (Festivals)
Opens Vol IV — devoted to three festival tracts: Tract Succah (Tabernacles), Tract Betzah / Yom Tov (Festival regulations in general), and Tract Moed Katan (the intermediate days of festivals).
177 words - 92To the Reader — Vol IV — To the Reader (note on the three tracts)
Rodkinson's note to the reader explaining that Vol IV contains three tracts for uniformity of volume size. Tract Succah treats the Booth, the palm branches, and citrons; the other two treat the laws of festivals in general.
310 words - 93Synopsis of Subjects — Vol IV — Synopsis (Succah)
Synopsis of subjects of Tract Succah — the Sukkot festival, the booth-construction requirements, the four species (lulav, etrog, hadas, aravah).
7,041 words - 94Chapter I — Succah Ch I — Dimensions of the sukkah
Opens Tract Succah. The dimensions of a valid sukkah — minimum and maximum height, minimum width, the requirements of the s'chach (roof-covering).
68,959 words - 95Chapter II — Succah Ch II — Sleeping in the sukkah
Regulations concerning sleeping in the sukkah; the obligation of sukkah-dwelling throughout the seven days; the exemptions (the sick, the comforters, women, minors).
29,346 words - 96Chapter III — Succah Ch III — The four species (lulav, etrog, hadas, aravah)
The four species taken on Sukkot: the lulav (palm-branch), etrog (citron), hadas (myrtle), aravah (willow). The species' requirements; their binding together; the na'anu'im (waving) in the four directions.
47,424 words - 97Chapter IV — Succah Ch IV — Hoshana Rabbah; the willow-procession
The seven-day procession of the willow around the altar; the great Hoshana Rabbah (seventh day) procession; the aravah placed against the altar; the supplementary water-libation that marked Sukkot in Temple times.
30,352 words - 98Chapter V — Succah Ch V — The water-drawing celebration
Closes Tract Succah. The famous Simchat Beit ha-Shoeva — the Joy of the House of Water-Drawing — when the priests went down to the Pool of Siloam to draw water for the libation, and the great festive celebration that followed in the Temple court. He who has not seen the Simchat Beit ha-Shoeva has never seen rejoicing in his life.
14,041 words - 99Dedication — Vol IV — Dedication (mid-volume)
Mid-volume dedication for the next tract.
83 words - 100Explanatory Remarks — Vol IV — Explanatory Remarks (between Succah and next tract)
Interpolated Explanatory Remarks.
165 words - 101A Word to the Public — Vol IV — A Word to the Public
Rodkinson's intervening message to the public concerning the reception of the New Edition translation.
1,572 words - 102A Letter From Prof. Dr. M. Lazarus — Vol IV — Letter from Prof. Dr. M. Lazarus
A scholarly letter of endorsement / engagement from Prof. Dr. Moritz Lazarus (1824-1903) — the German-Jewish philosopher famous for Ethik des Judentums. Lazarus's testimony to the value of the New Edition.
187 words - 103Chapter VI — Betzah / Yom Tov Ch I — Festival regulations
Opens Tract Betzah / Yom Tov. The egg laid on a festival day; the muktzah status of the egg; the broader principles governing festival-day handling of objects. The schools of Shammai and Hillel disagree at the opening.
1,457 words - 104Chapter VII — Betzah Ch II — Cooking and food preparation on festivals
Regulations concerning food preparation on festival days. The permission to cook for the festival itself (unlike the Sabbath) — but only for the festival, not for the day after. The eruv tavshilin by which preparation for the Sabbath following a festival is enabled.
1,422 words - 105Chapter VIII. — Betzah Ch III — Trapping and slaughtering on festivals
Regulations concerning the trapping of birds and animals on festivals, and the slaughtering of them for festival food. The line between permitted (for festival food) and forbidden (for storage).
3,012 words - 106Chapter IX — Betzah Ch IV — Carrying on festivals
Regulations concerning carrying on festivals — the more permissive set than the corresponding Sabbath-rules. What may be carried for festival food preparation; what is still forbidden.
3,623 words - 107Chapter X — Betzah Ch V — Closing festival regulations
Closing chapter of Tract Betzah / Yom Tov. Miscellaneous closing regulations: the differences between Sabbath and festival law, the obligation of festival joy (simchat Yom Tov).
1,456 words - 108Chapter XI — Moed Katan Ch I — Intermediate festival days
Opens Tract Moed Katan (Lesser Festival = the intermediate days of Pesach and Sukkot, chol ha-moed). What labour is permitted on these days; the principle that only labour preventing significant loss may be performed.
1,208 words - 109Chapter XII — Moed Katan Ch II — Marriage, mourning, business
Regulations concerning marriages, mourning customs, and business transactions during the intermediate festival days. The principles balancing festival joy against ordinary obligations and against grief.
2,895 words - 110Chapter XIII — Moed Katan Ch III — The mourner's customs
Detailed regulations concerning the mourner's customs during the intermediate festival days. The seven-day shiva and its modification when festival intervenes; the thirty-day shloshim; the year for a parent.
570 words - 111Chapter XIV — Moed Katan Ch IV — Closing regulations
Closes Vol IV. Closing regulations of Moed Katan and of the festival-section in general. The principle that the moed days are between full festival and ordinary days — restricted but joyful.
1,681 words - 112Explanatory Remarks and Copyright — Vol V — Explanatory Remarks (Aboth, Derech Eretz, Jurisprudence intro)
Opens Vol V — containing Tract Aboth (Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Fathers), Tract Derech Eretz Rabba and Zuta, the Chapter on Peace, and the introduction to Section Jurisprudence.
175 words - 113Introduction to Section Jurisprudence — Vol V — Introduction to Section Jurisprudence (Seder Nezikin)
Introduction to Seder Nezikin (Damages) — the fourth Order of the Mishnah, dealing with civil and criminal law. The three Bavot (Gates), Sanhedrin, Makkot, and the related tractates.
1,626 words - 114Synopsis of Tract Aboth (Fathers of the Synagogue). — Vol V — Synopsis of Tract Aboth (Pirkei Avot)
Synopsis of Tract Aboth — the Ethics of the Fathers — the famous tractate of moral maxims from the zugot (pairs) of early teachers through the Tannaim of the second century. Read on Sabbath afternoons between Passover and Shavuot.
3,100 words - 115Chapter I — Aboth Ch I — Moses received the Torah from Sinai
Opens Pirkei Avot. The famous opening: Moses received the Torah from Sinai and delivered it to Joshua; Joshua to the Elders; the Elders to the Prophets; the Prophets delivered it to the Men of the Great Assembly. The chain of tradition (shalshelet ha-kabbalah) traced through the Pharisaic pairs.
40,133 words - 116Chapter II. — Aboth Ch II — Rabbi and his disciples
Second chapter — Rabbi Judah the Prince and his five outstanding disciples (R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, R. Joshua ben Hananiah, R. Yose the Priest, R. Shimon ben Nathaniel, R. Eleazar ben Arach). Their characteristic teachings preserved in pithy moral maxims.
20,441 words - 117Chapter III. — Aboth Ch III — Reflections on the brevity of life
Akabia ben Mahalalel: Reflect upon three things and you will not come into the power of sin: know whence you came, whither you go, and before whom you are to give account. The classical Avot reflections on mortality and accountability.
16,063 words - 118Chapter IV. — Aboth Ch IV — Who is wise; who is strong; who is rich
Ben Zoma's famous fourfold definition: Who is wise? He who learns from every man. Who is strong? He who subdues his evil inclination. Who is rich? He who is content with his portion. Who is honoured? He who honours his fellow creatures. The most-quoted single passage of Pirkei Avot.
21,593 words - 119Chapter V. — Aboth Ch V — With ten utterances was the world created
The numerical-arrangement chapter. With ten utterances was the world created; ten generations from Adam to Noah; ten generations from Noah to Abraham; ten trials by which Abraham was tested; ten miracles for our ancestors in Egypt… The series of structuring tens of the entire biblical-traditional narrative.
24,632 words - 120Chapter VI. — Aboth Ch VI — Kinyan Torah (the Acquisition of Torah)
The supplementary sixth chapter — Kinyan Torah. The forty-eight ways by which Torah is acquired; the sayings on the dignity of Torah study; the closing kabbalistic vision of the Torah as the divine plan of the world.
13,731 words - 121Synopsis of Tract Derech Eretz-Rabba and Zuta — Vol V — Synopsis of Derech Eretz Rabba and Zuta
Synopsis of the Derech Eretz tractates — the minor tractates appended to the Talmud on social conduct, etiquette, and right behavior. Derech Eretz Rabba (the greater) and Derech Eretz Zuta (the lesser) treat overlapping material at different lengths.
1,426 words - 122Chapter VII. — Derech Eretz Rabba Ch I — Forbidden marriages and social cautions
Opens Derech Eretz Rabba. The forbidden marriages — incest-degrees as treated proverbially; the cautions concerning social interactions that lead toward forbidden relations; the broad framework of boundary-discipline (derech eretz) in everyday life.
15,967 words - 123Chapter VIII. — Derech Eretz Rabba Ch II — On greeting and salutation
On the proprieties of greeting and salutation — how the disciple greets the master, how strangers greet each other, the orders of precedence in greeting that signify recognition of status and dignity.
14,051 words - 124Chapter IX. — Derech Eretz Rabba Ch III — On eating with others
On the proprieties of eating with others — table manners, the rules of zimmun (joint grace), what is appropriate at festive and at ordinary meals.
1,278 words - 125Chapter X. — Derech Eretz Rabba Ch IV — On the discipline of speech
On the discipline of speech in ordinary social life. The boundaries of permitted speech; the dangers of slander, gossip, and exaggeration; the moral and practical reasons for cultivated restraint in speech.
440 words - 126Chapter XI. — Derech Eretz Zuta Ch — The disciple's path
From Derech Eretz Zuta. The disciple's path of moral cultivation — the small daily disciplines that together form the character of one who lives according to derech eretz.
410 words - 127The Chapter on Peace — Perek ha-Shalom — the Chapter on Peace
The closing Perek ha-Shalom (Chapter on Peace) — a separate short collection of sayings on the supreme importance of peace. Great is peace, for the Torah's last word at every benediction is for peace. Closes the Derech Eretz section.
1,111 words - 128Advertisement at end of Volume — Vol V — Closing advertisement
Closing advertisement of forthcoming volumes of the New Edition.
227 words - 129Introduction to the Three Gates of Section Jurisprudence — Vol V — Introduction to the Three Gates (Bavot)
Introduction to the Three Bavot — Bava Kama (First Gate), Bava Metzia (Middle Gate), Bava Batra (Last Gate) — the three tractates of Seder Nezikin treating civil law. (In the printed Talmud they were anciently a single great tractate divided by gate into three.)
2,051 words - 130Synopsis of Subjects of Tract Baba Kama (The First Gate) — Vol V — Synopsis of Bava Kama (First Gate)
Synopsis of subjects of Tract Bava Kama — the First Gate — treating damages, the four primary categories of damage (ox, pit, fire, mav'eh), bodily injuries and compensation, theft and robbery.
3,808 words - 131Explanatory Remarks — Vol VI — Explanatory Remarks (Bava Metzia)
Opens Vol VI. The title page indicates: Section Jurisprudence (Damages); Tract Bava Metzia (Middle Gate, Part I); Volume III (XI). Bava Metzia treats found objects, bailments, hired labor, real-estate sales, and usury.
217 words - 132Synopsis of Subjects — Vol VI — Synopsis of Bava Metzia subjects
Synopsis of subjects of Tract Bava Metzia (the Middle Gate).
7,519 words - 133Chapter IX — Bava Metzia Ch IX — Hired labour and the worker's rights
Regulations concerning hired labour and the worker's rights. The famous teaching: the worker eats from the produce on which he labours (Deut 23:25-26); the duty to pay wages promptly (Lev 19:13); the principle of hashavat aveidah (returning lost property).
35,185 words - 134Chapter X — Bava Metzia Ch X — Joint property and partition
Closes Tract Bava Metzia. Regulations concerning joint property and the rules of partition between partners — fences, walls, courtyards held in common.
16,509 words - 135Chapter I — Bava Metzia Ch I — Two holding a garment (found-object dispute)
Opens Tract Bava Metzia. The famous opening case: Two are holding a garment; one says 'I found it,' the other says 'I found it.' The procedure for resolving disputed claims of finding. The classical training-case of Talmudic legal reasoning.
21,081 words - 136Chapter II — Bava Metzia Ch II — Found objects and their disposition
Regulations concerning found objects — what must be returned, what may be kept, the duty of announcement (hachrazah), the rules for special categories (animals, money, identifiable garments).
17,770 words - 137Chapter III — Bava Metzia Ch III — Bailments and the four bailees
Regulations concerning bailments — the four types of bailee (shomer chinam unpaid keeper, shomer sakhar paid keeper, socher renter, sho'el borrower) and the differing liability of each for loss, damage, or theft.
14,079 words - 138Chapter IV — Bava Metzia Ch IV — Buying, selling, and the principle of ona'ah
Regulations concerning buying and selling. The principle of ona'ah — overreaching in price (a transaction with more than one-sixth deviation from market value can be voided). The protections for both buyer and seller.
16,485 words - 139Explanatory Remarks — Vol VI — Explanatory Remarks (mid-volume)
Interpolated Explanatory Remarks in Vol VI.
237 words - 140Chapter V — Bava Metzia Ch V — Usury (ribit)
Regulations concerning usury (ribit) — the biblical prohibition on charging interest to a fellow Israelite (Lev 25:35-37, Deut 23:20). The various categories of forbidden interest, including ribit ketzutzah (fixed interest, biblical) and avak ribit (dust-of-interest, rabbinic).
20,573 words - 141Chapter VI. — Bava Metzia Ch VI — Hired animals and workers; the agreement
Regulations concerning hired animals and workers — the terms of the agreement, the contingencies that void it, the obligations of both parties when the work cannot be performed.
10,622 words - 142Chapter VII — Bava Metzia Ch VII — The worker's right to eat
Detailed treatment of the worker's right to eat from the produce on which he labours (Deut 23:25-26). Which workers; what quantities; the related limitations and disciplines.
18,437 words - 143Chapter VIII. — Bava Metzia Ch VIII — Borrowing and renting of animals
Regulations concerning the borrowing and renting of animals. The distinct liability of the borrower (absolute, except for meitah machmat melakhah, death from the work) versus the renter (lesser, like a paid bailee).
11,356 words - 144Explanatory Remarks — Vol VII — Explanatory Remarks (Bava Bathra)
Opens Vol VII — Tract Bava Bathra (Last Gate). Real-estate sales, partnerships, inheritance laws, the rules of testimony, and the technical aspects of property-transfer.
175 words - 145Synopsis Of Subjects Of Tract Baba Bathra (Last Gate). — Vol VII — Synopsis of Bava Bathra
Synopsis of subjects of Tract Bava Bathra.
3,441 words - 146Chapter I — Bava Bathra Ch I — Partition of jointly-owned courtyards
Opens Tract Bava Bathra. Partition of jointly-owned courtyards; the wall built between partners; the requirements of the partition; the obligations of contribution.
25,119 words - 147Chapter II — Bava Bathra Ch II — Distance-requirements for damaging activities
Regulations concerning the minimum distances at which various damaging activities (pits, ovens, tanneries, dovecotes) may be located from a neighbour's property. The protections of property-quiet.
12,962 words - 148Chapter III — Bava Bathra Ch III — Chazakah (possession)
Regulations concerning chazakah — the establishment of presumed ownership through uninterrupted three-year occupancy. The mechanism by which long-standing use creates legal title.
31,032 words - 149Chapter IV — Bava Bathra Ch IV — What is sold with the house
Regulations concerning what is included in the sale of a house — the door, the lock, the staircase, the field's cistern, the well, the garden-tree. The doctrine that the contents-of-sale follow the customary inclusion of the place.
9,127 words - 150Chapter V — Bava Bathra Ch V — Closing real-estate provisions
Closing chapter of Bava Bathra Part I — closing real-estate provisions on sales and partnerships.
21,951 words - 151Appendix — Vol VII — Appendix
Editorial appendix to Bava Bathra Part I.
407 words - 152Explanatory Remarks — Vol VII — Explanatory Remarks (between Bava Bathra parts)
Editorial Explanatory Remarks between the two parts of Bava Bathra.
165 words - 153Dedication — Vol VII — Dedication (second part)
Dedication for Bava Bathra Part II.
69 words - 154Synopsis of Subjects — Vol VII — Synopsis (Bava Bathra Part II)
Synopsis of subjects of Bava Bathra Part II — testimony, inheritance, and document law.
3,998 words - 155Chapter VI — Bava Bathra Ch VI — Sales of obscure or partly-marked items
Regulations concerning the sale of items whose specifications are partly obscured or partly marked — the principle of reading the seller's specifications strictly against the buyer when the description was the seller's responsibility.
7,112 words - 156Chapter VII — Bava Bathra Ch VII — Sales of fields and the rules of measurement
Regulations concerning sales of fields and the rules of measurement — the customary terms ("a beit kor of land"), the strict and approximate readings, the adjustments for surplus or deficit.
36,013 words - 157Chapter IX — Bava Bathra Ch IX — Estates and the distribution among heirs
Regulations concerning estates and the distribution of property among heirs. The biblical inheritance-order (Numbers 27, 36); the case of the daughters of Zelophehad; the laws concerning a wife's kethubah claim against the estate.
20,594 words - 158Chapter X — Bava Bathra Ch X — Documents (shtarot) and their formalities
Closes Tract Bava Bathra. Regulations concerning documents — the formalities of shtarei chov (debt-documents), shtarei kinyan (sale-documents), the witnesses required, the case of conflicting documents.
16,867 words - 159A Word to the Reader — Vol VIII — A Word to the Reader (Sanhedrin)
Rodkinson's note to the reader concerning Tract Sanhedrin and the modern scholarly literature on the Jewish high court — the dating disputes about the institution and its origins.
812 words - 160Synopsis of Subjects — Vol VIII — Synopsis (Sanhedrin)
Synopsis of subjects of Tract Sanhedrin — the Jewish high court of seventy-one, the lesser sanhedrins of twenty-three, the procedure of capital cases, and the famous Helek chapter on the world to come.
7,568 words - 161Chapter I — Sanhedrin Ch I — Court compositions
Opens Tract Sanhedrin. The compositions of the Jewish courts: cases requiring three (civil), twenty-three (capital), and seventy-one (the Great Sanhedrin); the cases that fall to each.
18,630 words - 162Chapter II — Sanhedrin Ch II — King and High Priest
Regulations concerning the King of Israel and the High Priest — their judicial standing, what cases they may sit on, what mourning customs apply, what comportment is required.
9,327 words - 163Chapter III — Sanhedrin Ch III — Civil-case procedure
Regulations concerning civil-case procedure — the choice of judges by the parties, the qualification of witnesses, the cross-examination procedure (hakira and bedikah), the verdict.
15,490 words - 164Chapter IV — Sanhedrin Ch IV — Capital-case procedure
The famous chapter contrasting civil and capital cases. The procedural protections for the accused in capital cases — the witnesses are warned, the accused is brought to acquittal first, a unanimous verdict for conviction is suspect, the world was created for the sake of a single human being.
8,276 words - 165Chapter V — Sanhedrin Ch V — Examination of witnesses
Detailed regulations concerning the examination of witnesses in capital cases. The seven matters of examination (chakirot) on which witnesses must agree; the principle that disagreement on any chakira invalidates the testimony.
5,011 words - 166Chapter VI — Sanhedrin Ch VI — Stoning and the carrying-out of execution
Regulations concerning execution by stoning — the procedure outside the court, the proclamation, the herald, the opportunity for last-minute exculpation. The principle that punishment must be carried out with as much restraint as the procedure permits.
11,247 words - 167Chapter VII — Sanhedrin Ch VII — The four capital punishments
The four capital punishments under Jewish law — stoning, burning, beheading, strangling — and the offenses to which each applies. The technical specification of each mode and the case-by-case assignment of mode to offense.
23,438 words - 168Chapter VIII — Sanhedrin Ch VIII — The ben sorer u-moreh (stubborn and rebellious son)
Regulations concerning the ben sorer u-moreh — the stubborn and rebellious son of Deuteronomy 21:18-21. The numerous procedural conditions surrounding the case lead to the Talmudic conclusion that the case never occurred and never will occur — it stands in the Torah as moral instruction rather than for execution.
9,485 words - 169Chapter IX — Sanhedrin Ch IX — Capital offenses by burning
Regulations concerning the capital offenses punishable by burning — chiefly certain incest-cases (a man with mother and daughter, etc.) and the priest's daughter who profaned herself. The mode of execution by molten lead poured down the throat.
10,407 words - 170Chapter X — Sanhedrin Ch X (the Helek chapter) — The world to come
The famous Helek (Portion) chapter. All Israel have a portion in the world to come — and the exceptions (those who deny the resurrection, those who deny the Torah's divine origin, the apikoros). The most extended Talmudic treatment of eschatology and the messianic age.
7,899 words - 171Chapter XI — Sanhedrin Ch XI — Strangulation; closing capital regulations
Closes Tract Sanhedrin. Regulations concerning capital offenses punishable by strangulation; closing observations on the principle that capital execution should be carried out only with the utmost procedural protection and reluctance.
56,628 words - 172Explanatory Remarks — Vol IX — Explanatory Remarks (Makkot, Horayot, Eduyot, Avodah Zarah)
Opens Vol IX — the final volume of the Rodkinson New Edition. Contains Tract Makkot (Stripes), Tract Horayot (Decisions), and concluding material from the Festival and Jurisprudence sections.
173 words - 173Concluding Words To The Completion Of Sections Festival And Jurisprudence — Vol IX — Concluding words to Sections Festival and Jurisprudence
Rodkinson's concluding words upon completing the translation of the Festival and Jurisprudence sections (Sedarim Mo'ed and Nezikin). The two complete Orders that the New Edition fully covers.
2,024 words - 174Synopsis of Subjects of Tract Maccoth (Stripes) — Vol IX — Synopsis of Tract Makkot (Stripes)
Synopsis of Tract Makkot (Stripes) — concerning the cases of corporal punishment by lashes (the biblical thirty-nine of Deut 25:1-3), the false witnesses (edim zomemim) punishable by what they sought to do to their victim, and the cities of refuge (Numbers 35).
1,656 words - 175Chapter I — Makkot Ch I — False witnesses (edim zomemim)
Opens Tract Makkot. False witnesses (edim zomemim) — those proved by other witnesses to have been elsewhere at the alleged time of the events they testified to. The biblical principle (Deut 19:19): they suffer what they sought to do to the accused.
35,907 words - 176Chapter II — Makkot Ch II — Cities of refuge
Regulations concerning the cities of refuge (arei miklat) for the unintentional manslayer (Num 35, Deut 19). The six cities; the procedure of admission; the duration (until the death of the High Priest); the disposition of the slayer thereafter.
35,932 words - 177Chapter III — Makkot Ch III — Floggings (malkut)
Closes Tract Makkot. Regulations concerning floggings — the thirty-nine stripes (Deut 25 prescribes 'up to forty,' interpreted as thirty-nine to ensure none exceed the biblical limit); the offenses punishable thereby; the medical examination before flogging.
34,926 words - 178Synopsis of Subjects — Vol IX — Synopsis of Subjects (continued)
Synopsis of the remaining subjects of Vol IX.
4,388 words - 179Chapter IV — Eduyot Ch I — Testimonies from the sages
From Tract Eduyot (Testimonies) — a unique tractate containing testimonies relayed by particular Tannaim about the views of their predecessors. The recovery of older traditions through individual transmission rather than the standard topical organisation.
24,263 words - 180Chapter V — Eduyot Ch II — Further testimonies
Further testimonies from named Tannaim. The unique value of Tract Eduyot: it preserves opinions of teachers (e.g. R. Akabia ben Mahalalel) which the consensus rejected but which were preserved as testimonies for historical and procedural purposes.
19,731 words - 181Chapter VI. — Eduyot — closing testimonies
Closing chapter of the testimonies. Includes the famous closing teaching attributed to Hillel and the Sages on the qualities of a teacher and on the eight things that come into one's hands without their being sought.
9,211 words - 182Chapter VII. — Avodah Zarah Ch I — Idolatry: separation
From Tract Avodah Zarah (Strange Worship — idolatry). The separation required from idolatrous practice — the three days before and after pagan festivals when business with idolaters is forbidden; the special caution around their religious occasions.
6,525 words - 183Chapter VIII — Avodah Zarah Ch II — Wine, food, and idolatrous association
Regulations concerning wine of an idolater (yayin nesech — libation wine), food prepared by an idolater, and other articles whose use risks association with idolatrous practice. The boundaries that preserve communal religious identity.
1,951 words - 184Appendix to Page 13 — Vol IX — Appendix to page 13
Editorial appendix to a specific page reference.
206 words - 185Introduction — Vol IX — Introduction (closing apparatus)
Closing introductory apparatus to the final tractates of Vol IX.
220 words - 186Explanatory Remarks — Vol IX — Explanatory Remarks (closing)
Closing Explanatory Remarks of the entire New Edition.
163 words - 187Appendix to Page 60 — Vol IX — Appendix to page 60
Editorial appendix to a specific page reference.
533 words - 188Synopsis of Subjects of Tract Horioth — Vol IX — Synopsis of Tract Horayot (Decisions)
Closes Vol IX and the New Edition. Synopsis of Tract Horayot (Decisions) — concerning the erroneous decisions of the court that lead the people into transgression; the sacrifices required when the High Priest, the king, or the Sanhedrin sin through an erroneous ruling.
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