The Talmud: A Biography Hardcover -

From the rear cover

"Wimpfheimer brilliantly opens the door into the complex and fascinating world of textual study, allowing readers to comprehend the origins, structure, and impact of this foundational Jewish text. Erudite and accessible, this is a book for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the centrality of the Talmud in Jewish scholarship and life."--Tova Mirvis, author of The Book of Separation: A Memoir

"Wimpfheimer provides a masterful and subtle exposition of the complex ways in which the Talmud was formed and received through the generations. His unique capacity to explore this rich history from the dual perspectives of the internal development of Talmudic interpretation and the external reactions and reception is at the root of what makes this book so exquisite."--Moshe Halbertal, coauthor of The Beginning of Politics: Power in the Biblical Book of Samuel

"Wimpfheimer brings a rare combination of talents to this book: a scholar's familiarity with the Talmud's compositional and reception history, a critic's sensitivity to the Talmud's distinctive literary texture, and a public intellectual's feel for the pulse of modernity. The book tells you what the Talmud is and has been, and why it matters as much as or indeed more than ever."--Tzvi Novick, author of What Is Good, and What God Demands

"A very fine book. Wimpfheimer is a first-rate expositor."--Daniel Boyarin, author of A Traveling Homeland: The Talmud as Diaspora

Media reviews

Citations

• Choice, 12/01/2018, Page 0