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Talmud Shabbath: Soncino Talmud in English Book 12 Kindle Edition

by H. Freedman (Author), Isidore Epstein (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
This book presents an elegant classic English edition of Tractate Shabbath.

It is s the first treatise of Mo‘ed, the second Order of the Talmud. It contains 157 folios divided into 24 chapters, and is the second longest Tractate of the Talmud, being exceeded only by Baba Bathra, which runs to 176 folios.

As its name implies, the Tractate deals with the laws and regulations of the Sabbath. It is obvious that an institution of such far-reaching importance, which is indeed one of the foundations of Judaism and for the violation of which Scripture prescribes the supreme penalty, had to be carefully defined, and its observance precisely determined. To this task the Rabbis devoted themselves in the present treatise.

From an analysis and examination of these we learn that the following labors are forbidden: baking and seething; gathering manna and bringing it in; harvesting and plowing (and perhaps the labors associated with these); kindling; bearing burdens and carrying into a town (Jerusalem) or out from a private house; buying and selling; treading winepresses, and lading asses. But of course, mere chance references, as many of these are, could not be regarded as exhausting the labors forbidden on the Sabbath, and a scientific investigation was necessary for the full understanding of its observance. It will help to an understanding of the Tractate to know the principles upon which the Rabbis based their definition of labor, and the various categories of forbidden work which they distinguished.

The locus classicus for determining the meaning of 'work' was found by them in Ex. XXXV. There the instructions to build the Tabernacle are preceded by a short passage dealing with the prohibition of labor on the Sabbath which is apparently superfluous. The Rabbis accordingly interpreted it as intimating that whatever work was required in the building of the Tabernacle constituted 'work' which is forbidden on the Sabbath. Acting on this principle they drew up a list of thirty-nine 'principal' labors, which they extended by adding 'derivatives', i.e., such as partook of the nature of the 'principal' labors.

A considerable portion of the Tractate consists of Aggadah. It is difficult to make a selection from the rich store of Rabbinic legend, sentence, apologue and aphorism in which the Tractate abounds, but perhaps special attention might be drawn to the following: Prayer must be preceded by preparation; the judge who judges truthfully becomes a partner with God in the Creation; the Sabbath is God's gift to Israel; the story of Hanukkah (the Feast of Lights); the attempt to exclude Ecclesiastes and Ezekiel from the Canon; the heathens who wished to embrace Judaism on certain conditions and Hillel's famous epitome of Judaism — 'What is hateful to thee do not do to thy neighbour'; R. Simeon b. Yohai's criticism of the Roman Government and his flight; 'truth' is God's seal; Rome was founded when Solomon married Pharaoh's daughter; God's stipulation that the world was to return to chaos unless Israel accepted the Torah; Israel's joy in accepting it and Moses' fight to obtain it — an appreciation of the fact that God's kingdom on earth can be established only after struggle; the Torah is the cause of the nations' hatred of Israel; why Jerusalem was destroyed; schoolchildren are God's anointed; and finally, 'Repent one day before thy death' and the necessity to be ready at all times to appear before God illustrated by the parable of the wise and the foolish men invited to the king's feast. In that desire to be at harmony with God, which is the core and essence of Judaism, the Rabbis found the spiritual significance of the sacredness of the Sabbath.

[Cover graphic courtesy of YiddishWit dot com.]
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  1. Print length
    1093 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 10, 2012
  4. File size
    2.3 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B007JCGRNQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Talmudic Books; 1st edition (March 10, 2012)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 10, 2012
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 1093 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the Talmud Shabbath translation accurate and appreciate its value for money. They like its accessibility, with one customer noting it makes each folio easily accessible and another mentioning it's very easy to navigate between the folios.

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3 customers mention "Accessibility"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's accessibility, with one noting it makes each folio easily accessible, while another finds it convenient for skimming and looking up information.

"...The tabs at the right hand side make it very easy to navigate between the folios and to find any particular referance...." Read more

"...But it's a great price and it's a convenient way to skim and look up." Read more

"It has the folio pages in the table contents which makes each folio easily accessibly...." Read more

3 customers mention "Translation accuracy"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the translation accurate.

"...The translation is accurate, although the Soncino Edition has been carefully editored to remove passages that could be seen as offensive to non-..." Read more

"Very good translation from a prior generation. Still readable. One star off for the footnote hyperlinks not working (at least on the iOS reader)...." Read more

"...You have the wonderful Soncino translation and easily accessible text for 99 cents the right price...." Read more

3 customers mention "Value for money"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book offers great value for money.

"...The pricing makes these volumes very affordable for anyone." Read more

"...But it's a great price and it's a convenient way to skim and look up." Read more

"...Soncino translation and easily accessible text for 99 cents the right price...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • attheburningbush
    5.0 out of 5 stars Soncino Babylonian Talmud Shabbath
    Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I have found this set of Soncino Talmud for Kindle very helpful in my research and getting a better knowledge and understanding of Judaism.The translation is accurate, although the Soncino Edition has been carefully editored to remove passages that could be seen as offensive to non-Jewish readers. Some of these editorial changes are as simple as some words being changed, or later additions to the footnotes. But you would only pick this up if you have a knowledge of the Hebrew version.

    The tabs at the right hand side make it very easy to navigate between the folios and to find any particular referance.There is also the ability to highlight passages and bookmark them for further reference.

    I will be adding the other volumes as they hopefully become available in the future.The pricing makes these volumes very affordable for anyone.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Isaac S. Kohane
    4.0 out of 5 stars Right price for storied translation.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Very good translation from a prior generation. Still readable. One star off for the footnote hyperlinks not working (at least on the iOS reader). Also does not have the Hebrew and English in parallel as more recent translations do. But it's a great price and it's a convenient way to skim and look up.
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  • Warren NYack
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Volume.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    It has the folio pages in the table contents which makes each folio easily accessibly. This is normally a large set of volumes so it is wonderful to be able to carry it easily. The notes are in the text at the bottom of the page. You have the wonderful Soncino translation and easily accessible text for 99 cents the right price. You have wonderful tool that gives access to the Talmud in your hand without the weight of all the all the volumes.
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  • Walter R. Schoenly
    4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent to have a Kindle Edition.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    I am glad to see these volumes formatted and published for Kindle. As doctrinal statements they are what they are.
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  • PAULO R G DE ARAUJO
    2.0 out of 5 stars Leitura muito ruim devido diagramação
    Reviewed in Brazil on April 2, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Adquiri a versão e-book do Talmud Soncino (apesar de ela estar disponível gratuitamente na internet) acreditando que o valor pago seria recompensado por uma melhor formatação, que facilitaria a leitura, já que o texto original online é horrível, totalmente em letras maiúsculas. No entanto, a versão eletrônica também tem uma péssima formatação, com as anotações de cada página de repente interrompendo a leitura e nos fazendo perder o ritmo e a compreensão do texto entre uma página e outra. Muito ganharia se fosse feita a inserção das notas em rodapé ou, no mínimo, possibilitasse uma navegação para as notas clicando no link no meio do texto onde elas foram inseridas, voltando para o texto em seguida, para que não haver a quebra de fluxo (insuportável) a que me referi. Adquiri a versão e-book do Talmud Soncino (apesar de ela estar disponível gratuitamente na internet) acreditando que o valor pago seria recompensado por uma melhor formatação, que facilitaria a leitura, já que o texto original online é horrível, totalmente em letras maiúsculas. No entanto, a versão eletrônica também tem uma péssima formatação, com as anotações de cada página de repente interrompendo a leitura e nos fazendo perder o ritmo e a compreensão do texto entre uma página e outra. Muito ganharia se fosse feita a inserção das notas em rodapé ou, no mínimo, possibilitasse uma navegação para as notas clicando no link no meio do texto onde elas foram inseridas, voltando para o texto em seguida, para que não haver a quebra de fluxo (insuportável) a que me referi.
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