New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-04

ENGLISH AND FOREIGN PHILOSOPHICAL III
BRARY VOL XIX nsm tr, @ ms Tsyid or ;a
Alihrashiln and IN Kubba al COMPLIED and trans-
lated bv PACL ISAAC HERsHoN. with preface by the
Rsv f. W. FARIAR. D. d., F, r. s., with notes and
col iuus lndexrs Boston: Houghton' MiniM Co.
1850. 1@mO. 36l PIP.
The Jews claimed that an oral rs well rs written
law had been giver on Sinai; aud that this handed
down from Moses and explained by the great Ueach-
crs constituted the necessary supplement to the
Written law. This law preserved for centuries by
memory or I'm secret rolls, committed to writing
at the end OF the second century, and with other
materials formed the Mishna or copy Of the law.
Ronud this text there gradually gathered a mass Of
annexation and comment called GemarA or compile
nent The whole was completed at Babylon In 49S
A. d., and the body of text and comment was called
Tanud second Talinud was formed in Palestine
two centuries latcr with nearly the SAME text but
with different Gemara or commentary. and was
known MS the Jerusalem Talmud. The Balyonian
work, however is the important, and u nearly
four times the of the other: and 1t IS with THIS
that the present volume deals.
Dir HeTshcns scholarly and painstakiDg book
might be likened 20 basin Of water dipped out of
the ocean, II the works of q distinguished Cal
whistle divine cOuld be described as n "sea Of
mud" it is bard to find term adequate 10 tho de-
scriltlon of this chaotic mass OF Jewish law,
science, legend. supcrsution-a hbIary OF thrce-
ucore-aDd-ten trcatiScs in dozen huge fOos y
commonplace book OF LOCO years Of Rabbinical
Thought and wit and gossip. Here" says the
editor sis the mother stuff OF Judaism. tho fOun-
tain head Of it's inspiration. the key TO its phil
osophy and forms Of thinking 1t makes itself felt
IN every corner Of tho life of the orthodox JOw.
Here il the law of the household and the law Of the
state: directions for the health Of the body, the
attainment of wise knowledge, tho conquest OF
virtue aud the conduct Of life"
MIR Bershon's selections Vro arranged on The basis
OF feature OF the Tamnd TO which he claims to have
beer tic iirstto call attention prominence which
IL gives 10 numbers. The only principle which
itntes these otherwise ncOngruous passages Is thoir
reference 70 certain numbers. For example, under
The head of te ones OF the Talmud" we have such
ofacies as these One pang Of remorse at o mans
heart il Of more avail than many stripes applied TO
hisnr "One pepper-eorn to-day is better than a
basketfnl Of pumpkins to-mouow"-which is the
TalDudic way of puttpg. "a bird in band is
worth two In tae husLD Hero il a spccImeuof the
twcsr: '.Tbere were two things which God first
thought Of creating theeyeOf the Sabbath, which.
h6weycr were not created til after the Sabbath had
closed The first was fire. which Adam by divine
suggestion drrw forth By striking together
t,yc stones; and tha second was the mule gl. pro-
duced by the crossing OF two different animals
Again under the . liyes . we have: Five things
runse forgetfulDess partsking Of what has been
ensued By 9 mouse or cat. eating huliocks heart,
habiital use OF nivss- sinkinR water that hos hsen