The Land of Truth : Talmud Tales, Timeless Teachings / Jeffrey L. Rubenstein.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rubenstein, Jeffrey L., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rabbinical literature--Translations into English.

Rabbinical literature.

Aggada--History and criticism.

Aggada.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (189 pages)

Place of Publication:

[Lincoln] : University of Nebraska Press, [2018]

Summary:

Making the rich narrative world of Talmud tales fully accessible to modern readers, renowned Talmud scholar Jeffrey L. Rubenstein turns his spotlight on both famous and little-known stories, analyzing the tales in their original contexts, exploring their cultural meanings and literary artistry, and illuminating their relevance. Delving into both rabbinic life (the academy, master-disciple relationships) and Jewish life under Roman and Persian rule (persecution, taxation, marketplaces), Rubenstein explains how storytellers used irony, wordplay, figurative language, and other art forms to communicate their intended messages. Each close reading demonstrates the story's continuing relevance through the generations into modernity. For example, the story "Showdown in Court, " a confrontation between King Yannai and the Rabbinic judges, provides insights into controversial struggles in U.S. history to balance governmental power; the story of Honi's seventy-year sleep becomes a window into the indignities of aging. Through the prism of Talmud tales, Rubenstein also offers timeless insights into suffering, beauty, disgust, heroism, humor, love, sex, truth, and falsehood. By connecting twenty-first-century readers to past generations, The Land of Truth helps to bridge the divide between modern Jews and the traditional narrative worlds of their ancestors.

Contents:

The surreal sleeper

What to do with an aged (and annoying) mother?

Forbidden fruit, or how not to seduce your husband

Men are from Babylonia, women are from the Land of Israel

Sufferings! Not them and not their reward!

The ugly vessel

An arrow in the eye of satan

The land of truth

Torah for richer and poorer

Heroism and humor

Showdown in court

Alexander the Great and the faraway king

The carpenter and his apprentice

Standing on one leg.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"Published by the University of Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication Society book."

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780827614376

0827614373

9780827614352

0827614357

OCLC:

1060524501