BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

New Index Helps Unravel Talmud’s Mysteries

Bible and archaeology news

The Talmud, a massive, composite work of rabbinical discourse on Jewish law and scripture dating back to the sixth century C.E., can be formidable and difficult to penetrate, often requiring years of study to unravel the meanings and interpretations given in its pages. But thanks to a new, user-friendly index known as HaMafteach (Hebrew for “the key”), readers of the Talmud may now find its wide-ranging content much more accessible. The index, published by Feldheim Publishers and available in both English and Hebrew, includes nearly 7,000 topical entries and more than 27,000 subtopical entries, allowing readers to search the Talmud with relative ease on topics ranging from Sabbath laws to parables and commentaries on various Talmudic personalities. The brainchild of New York lawyer Daniel Retter, the index is edited by Rabbi Elchanan Kohn, a recognized Israeli Talmud scholar.

The Talmud, a massive, composite work of rabbinical discourse on Jewish law and scripture dating back to the sixth century C.E., can be formidable and difficult to penetrate, often requiring years of study to unravel the meanings and interpretations given in its pages.