We study the Talmud, poring over its pages, cherishing its every word. But do we know very much about its background?

In this beautiful volume, we will enrich and enhance the experience of learning Talmud with so much vital information!

Includes writings on:

• Biographies of hundreds of major Tannaim and Amoraim.
• Major historical documents discussing the origin of the Mishnah and Gemara, including Rambam's Introduction to Yad Chazakah and to his Commentary on the Mishnah, with both Hebrew text and English translation, and explanatory notes.
• The Iggeres Rav Sherira Gaon in Aramaic and English translation, with explanatory notes. This classic 10th century document describes how the Mishnah and Gemara were formulated, and is almost unknown to most students of the Torah.
• A readable narrative history of the Gemara era, including the political and social world of Talmudic times in both Eretz Yisrael and Babylonia, and the history of the Yeshivos of the Tannaim and Amoraim.
• A brief essay on the history of the printings of the Talmud.
• A description of the layout of the classic Vilna page.
• What is the Oral Law and what is its relationship to the Written Torah?
• An explanation of the 13 Middos by which the Written Torah is expounded, with clear examples of each one.

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