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Talmud
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Many books of Hagada had existed in Palestine, whose contents were incorporated later in various Midrashim, and some ... in the Talmud, and even at that period there was a difference of opinion as to their value. Some valued them, and some despised them. The Hagadas consist of two elements: first, the external garment of the thought, the tradition, and secondly, the internal idea, allegorically shadowed forth, which constitutes literary value. The latter can be divided into three kinds: "P'shat," the interpretation of the meaning of biblical words; "Drash," a free untrammelled interpretation of the scriptural texts; "Sod," the deep mystic, religious meanings construed from the texts. By these three kinds of construction of Scripture, all subjects, topics and times are embraced and discussed. The Hagada, with its mystic and veiled religious wisdom, has exercised a great influence in the Oriental and heathen world, which has borrowed from it many precious gems of profound religious thought having Palestine for their birthplace.
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IF THE BIBLE is the cornerstone of Judaism, then the Talmud is the central pillar, soaring up from the foundations and supporting the entire spiritual and intellectual edifice. In many ways the Talmud is the most important book in Jewish culture, the backbone of creativity and of national life. No other work has had a comparable influence on the theory and practice of Jewish life, shaping spiritual content and serving as a guide to conduct. The Jewish people have always been keenly aware that their continued survival and development depend on study of the Talmud, and those hostile to Judaism have ... been cognizant of this fact. The book was reviled, slandered, and consigned to the flames countless times in the Middle Ages and has been subjected to similar indignities in the recent past as well. At times, talmudic study has been prohibited because it was abundantly clear that a Jewish society that ceased to study this work had no real hope of survival.
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The Talmud has two components: the Mishnah (c. 200 CE), the first written compendium of Judaism's Oral Law; and the Gemara (c. 500 CE), a discussion of the Mishnah and related Tannaitic writings that often ventures onto other subjects and expounds broadly on the Tanakh.
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The Talmud authorities only had one source of information about Jesus: Christians. Being that much of the alleged references are polemical responses to Christian claims, there is no indication that the data was arrived at independently.
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Reading one page of the standard Vilna edition of the Talmud each day (a "Daf Yomi" or "Daily Page"), you can finish the entire Talmud in about seven and a half years. On March 2, 2005, a new cycle begins around the Jewish world with the tractate Berakhot (Blessings). Rabbi Chalom, as part of his own ongoing study, will be writing a "Blog", or Web Log, of his thoughts on the Talmud page of the day. Each entry will be a combination of explanation and personal reaction -- a balance of diary and commentary. Visit apikorostalmud.blogspot.com and dive in.
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The Talmud itself is still the authoritative and practical guide of the great mass of the Jews, and is too closely connected with contemporary and earlier Palestinian history to of be neglected by Christians. With the progress of criticism. modern research the value of this and of the other old Rabbinical writings is being re-estimated, and criticism has forced a modification of many old views.' Thus, an early reference to the title of a work does not prove that it is that which is now current; this applies, for example, to the tractate Eduyyoth (see Jew. Ency., viii. 61i), and to the Midrash Siphre, which frequently differs from that as known to the Talmud (ib., xi. 331).
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