New Britain herald., 1917-06-07


 That the work Is of vital interest to men and women in various lines of professional work. was pointed out some years ago in . report of tho U. s. Bureau of Education which spoke of the Talmud as ''of the greatest scientific importance" stating ''It is not only of practical value to the lawyer, teacher and physician of modern times. but also to students of various branches of science. including political economists and sociolos1sts. The views of it's authors on the labor question, for instance. are remark able as having been advanced con- turies before the dawn of our indus trial era.
 The article mentioned as appearing over forty years ago in the Quarterly Review was copied by leading Ameri- can magazines. and through it's many astounding statements. such as for in. stance, that the Talmud had at that very time repeatedly been sum- moned to appear In courts of law to give evidence" created a real sensa- ton. It was then that great Hebrew scholar, being assured of the assist ance of some of the leading American authorities on Semitic lore. decided to devote the rest of his life to giving the English-speaking world . transla- ton of the great work. and also to preparing . history of it's numerous prosecutions including the burnings at the stake it received in several Euro pean countries. This task took forty yeare-the time of the sojourn of the Israelitcs in the Wilderness.
 A splendid edition of this. the only English translation of this great work, Is now being brought out in ten volumes by the TAlmud society.
 To translate the Talmud into English from the original is a gigantic task that can be hardly appreciated by those who are not aware that the shore from which one launches his bark on 'the sea of the Talmud" Is oppugned by solid wall of break CTS composed of thick Hebrew and Aramaic consonants without . vowel from the first word of the volume to the last word of the last. As ono of the leading Talmudic scholars of America has Informed me. Had the teaching of the Talmud been entirely interrupted during the life of a gen. eration-had the tradition been once lost. 1t would be well-nigh impossible to recover it.
 The translator was naturally greatly helped by tho wonderful Commentary of Rashi. which Is included in this Tn the original questions whose complete enrichment would take lines are indicated by a single term. In the words of 'FIudibras," the original Talmud h
 ,. "a parti-colored dress, Of patcher and piebald languages. Which made some think, when 1t did
 gabble,
 They'd heard three laborers 1t Babel, Or Cerberus himself pronounce A leash of languages at once."
 However, the new edition Is in Eng lish that Is classic in its simplicity and force. and the text is greatly inn proved by the omission of repetitions and arguments that were so unessen- tial to the point at issue that they proved "a weariness to the flesh" to even the most persevering scholars.
 The Talmud Society's edition in- cludes . volume on the history of tho Talmud which gives complete ac- count of the many vicissitudes of . work that after having taken nearly two thousand years to complete. has at length achieved tho triumph of 8 universal recognition.
 The Talmud contains two distinct departments. vix: the "Mishna," the text of the oral law, and the Gem ara." ''the completion"
 The "Mishna" was completed in Palestine by the wealthy. learned and benencent Rabbi Jehudah ha-Nasi Literally "the Prince'") who was the head. of the great sanhedrin or su- preme council at the beginning of the second century Of this era.
 The Gemara consists of Halaka- expositionsI discussions and reports bearing upon the Law. and Haggada records legends and parables. doc trinal and ethical teachings: and free interpretations of the Scriptures. The Haggada is 50 placed as to brighten many . gravs discussion. The de- bates from which tho Gemara grew were carried on for i've centuries in colleges esta ablished in Babylonia for this purpose.
 It took nearly eight hundred years
 (from 800 before to 500 years after the Christian era) for an army of authors and tireless debaters to un- ravel the thought and fancy not only of these centuries but also that which
 was handed down from remote ages.
 During this time the Talmud was
 not committed to writing. It took
 nearly eight hundred years more to put into permanent form this vast body of learning and speculation with the additional observations born of the wide thought of those years. The Talmud is therefore. far from being the work of a single uthor. II
 is also by no means work alone by
 Jews. Early Jewish Christians and the wise men of pagan races-Epicur- cans. Romans. Chaldeans and Per-
 ssans-freely contributed to its pages.
 It ts ono of the most democratic liter-