Ein Yaakov

Large View 

By Jacob Ben Solomon Ibn Habib, Yaakov Ibn Chaviv, Avraham Yaakov Finkel

Editorial Reviews

Synopsis
A translation of this classic Jewish work by rabbi Avraham Yaakov Finkel. It consists of all of the legends but none of the legal material in the Talmud.

About the Author
Avraham Yaakov Finkel was born in Basel, Switzerland, and lived in The Hague, The Netherlands, until 1942, when he was deported to Bergen-Belsen by the Nazis. Finkel is the author of The Essential Maimonides, In My Flesh I See God, Contemporary Sages, The Great Chasidic Masters, The Responsa Anthology, and The Great Torah Commentators. He has also translated numerous works, including Sefer Chasidim, Chovot Halevavot, the autobiographies of the Tosafot Yom Tovand Chasam Sofer, Dare to Survive,... read more

Book Description
Aggadah is the non-legal part of the Talmud. Scattered among the more than 2700 pages of the Talmud, the majority of which deal with the legal intricacies of halachah (Jewish law), aggadah focuses on the ethical and inspirational aspects of the Torah way of life. While halachah appeals to the intellect, aggadah touches the heart and rouses emotions. It is a vast reservoir of Torah thought, logic, and wisdom. Through a wealth of homilies, anecdotes, allegories, pithy sayings, and interpretations of biblical verses, it has been said that aggadah brings you closer to God and His Torah. As the Sages put it, "If you want to become acquainted with your Creator, you should go and learn aggadah. If you do, you will get to know the Holy One, blessed be He, and cling to His ways."
As you study aggadah you stand in awe of the profound wisdom of the Sages of the Talmud. Every sphere of life is touched upon, from ethics to astronomy, from mysticism to marriage to medicine. Their insight into the human psyche is truly breathtaking. When they discuss life's inevitable problems, its joys and tragedies, you sense that they are addressing you personally. When they offer guidelines for constructing a proper life, their ancient words are as relevant today as they were when they were spoken eons ago. You are told in dry categorical fashion what your duties to your Creator are. You actively participate in the thought processes that led to them. Phrases like, "From where do we know?" "On what essential point do they disagree?" and "But what is the reason?" abound on every page of the Talmud. This is what makes the study of Talmud so invigorating and animated.
Aggadah tells us a great deal about the lives of the Sages, and fascinating stories they are. The rabbis are vibrantly alive as they expound, and encourage the downtrodden, negotiate with Roman emperors and generals, and help the poor, the sick, and the oppressed. These anecdotes are intended to show that the Sages were not just thinkers and philosophers but saintly individuals whose qualities we should try to emulate.
By studying Ein Yaakov, you become a member of the vast legion of students of the Talmud that spans the globe and the centuries. You will surely enjoy the exhilaration of learning aggadah, the inspirational part of the Talmud, and you will feel richly rewarded by it.