Special Interview: Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz

For those able to start the new cycle of Day Yomi learning today - BeHatzlacha! Every word is an achievement. Out Sages teach us this is why the first word of every Masechet (tractate) is written in a beautiful box - adorned all on its own! Each word is a jewel in itself. There may be 2711 Dapim (double sided pages) to go through or 5422 single pages filled with hundreds of words on each - but this does not detract from the value of the achievement of understanding every single word. Seeing it as a world to itself!

Rabbi Steinsaltz has just begun his latest project of translating the entire Talmud into English. It's much more than that though, with the pages being beautifully adorned with insights, commentaries, biographies, colour photos, practical Halacha and much more! If you're looking for an ultimate learning partner - when you can't learn in person - you'll find it in his latest work. You can find out more about his English Talmud by visiting Artscroll or Koren Talmud Bavli - or both?

Enjoy the interview below as Rabbi Steinsaltz tells us more about all his projects and the specialness of learning the entire Talmud:

Learn the Basics about Talmud Through These Animated Videos

Are you getting ready for the new Daf Yomi cycle? Not sure what it's about? It's about learning a page of Talmud every day - for some 7 and a half years... and turning around to say you've been through it all! Learning is not enough - as "Action is the Main Thing!" - but still it's a great goal to strive for of course. If you're new to it all, you may be wondering what exactly the Talmud is in the first instance! Once that's clear, you may want to understand a little about how it all works and how to get a start in learning it. For those not yet familiar with learning Talmud, the task can look daunting! Before even understanding the language, you might want to familiarise yourself with books that speak about how it came about, who wrote it and what you might find in it... and only then actually venture into learning it!

The videos found at www.animatedtalmud.com are a great way to get started in learning the basics in a fun way. There's much more to learn - of course - but getting a visual show of how it all fits is a great way to get started! Here's the first of the videos for you to sample. Then head over to the site to watch the remainder - and make a start into learning just about everything in life - as you swim through the sea of the Talmud!

Artscroll or Koren Talmud Bavli - or Both?!

What an amazing generation we are living in! For those unable to study Gemara from the original texts for lack of not being able to read, to understand (Hebrew/Aramaic) or being unable to understand the concepts, there are now two revolutionary ways to learn. Artscroll are just about to release their complete English translation of the Talmud onto digital format allowing one to interact with the page in a variety of ways - and Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is currently launching his first complete translation with explanation of his already outstanding Hebrew edition. The new English edition looks amazing!

Gemara is becoming easier to learn and follow than ever before and we all have the opportunity to obtain these news works (money allowing!) and begin our learning for the new Daf HaYomi cycle beginning shortly. So which one is best for you?! Both!  Ben Bag Bag (Pirkei Avot 5:21) teaches, "Learn it and learn it, for everything is in it! Look deeply into it! Grow old and grey over it, and do not stir from it, for there is nothing more edifying for you than it." Ben Zoma (Pirkei Avot 4:1) teaches, "Who is wise? One who learns from everyone!" The more one learns - and from the more who one can learn from -the better!

These two videos show just how beautiful both these editions are. I'd get them both... if I could afford them!

TALMUD BAVLI - KOREN EDITION

For a more detailed article sharing the differences between the Artscroll Schottenstein Talmud edition and Koren edition, see Englishing the Talmud