Louis Jacobs

The aim of this study is to demonstrate that, for all the admitted emphasis on peoplehood in the Jewish religious tradition, there are equally strong individualistic tendencies within Judaism which should not be confined to the sidelines. Dr Jacobs maintains that - in any balanced view of Judaism - it needs to be shown that what the individual does with his life has eternal significance for that same individual, not only for the Jewish people as a whole. Through a careful analysis of the primary texts, Jacobs conducts a thorough survey of some of the most important instances where the individual is discussed in the Jewish religious tradition. In so doing, his aim is not to elevate individualism at the expense of the Jewish community, but rather to show that Judaism pivots centrally neither on the people nor on the individual, but rests, rather, on both: his contention, finally, is that each needs to be taken equally into account if a balanced opinion of both is to be formed.

This book attempts to uncover the basic form and structure of the Babylonian Talmud, which is a centrally important text in Jewish studies. The contribution made by Dr Jacobs to the study of the Talmud consists in his presentation of the literary principles employed in its composition, and he here presents a clear survey indicating the manner in which earlier material was reworked in order to make each component, or sugya, into a carefully structured and self-consistent unit. Jacobs compares the editors' methods in this regard with the manner in which Shakespeare converted the variety of chronicles and source material available to him into a much more dramatic literary form, which - while preserving the kernel of the story - completely transformed its character and impact. Dr Jacobs' study constitutes an excellent introduction to the Babylonian Talmud and to the nature of rabbinic thinking.

Provides four detailed understandings of the nature and scope of the Babylonian Talmud, outlining the state-of-the-art studies of the subject as well as some problems still awaiting solution, such as

Responsa are replies given by prominent rabbinic authorities to questions put to them by other scholars, asking for rulings on specific issues, generally of a practical nature. The responsa literature

Rabbi Jacobs, with sixty years' experience of pulpit work to his credit, provides a number of homilies for each weekly portion of the modern sermon and for the chapters of Ethics of the Fathers. The t

Rabbi Jacobs, with sixty years' experience of pulpit work to his credit, provides a number of homilies for each weekly portion of the modern sermon and for the chapters of Ethics of the Fathers. The t

More than forty years have passed since Louis Jacobs first put forward the argument that traditionally observant Jews have no reason to take issue with the findings of the historical critics in their

An encyclopedia of Judaica from Biblical times to the present contains hundreds of entries covering innumerable aspects of Jewish belief and practice, wisdom and culture, history and tradition, includ

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The aim of this study is to demonstrate that, for all the admitted emphasis on peoplehood in the Jewish religious tradition, there are equally strong individualistic tendencies within Judaism which should not be confined to the sidelines. Dr Jacobs maintains that - in any balanced view of Judaism - it needs to be shown that what the individual does with his life has eternal significance for that same individual, not only for the Jewish people as a whole. Through a careful analysis of the primary texts, Jacobs conducts a thorough survey of some of the most important instances where the individual is discussed in the Jewish religious tradition. In so doing, his aim is not to elevate individualism at the expense of the Jewish community, but rather to show that Judaism pivots centrally neither on the people nor on the individual, but rests, rather, on both: his contention, finally, is that each needs to be taken equally into account if a balanced opinion of both is to be formed.

This book attempts to uncover the basic form and structure of the Babylonian Talmud, which is a centrally important text in Jewish studies. The contribution made by Dr Jacobs to the study of the Talmud consists in his presentation of the literary principles employed in its composition, and he here presents a clear survey indicating the manner in which earlier material was reworked in order to make each component, or sugya, into a carefully structured and self-consistent unit. Jacobs compares the editors' methods in this regard with the manner in which Shakespeare converted the variety of chronicles and source material available to him into a much more dramatic literary form, which - while preserving the kernel of the story - completely transformed its character and impact. Dr Jacobs' study constitutes an excellent introduction to the Babylonian Talmud and to the nature of rabbinic thinking.

This book, the only one in English that can serve as a textbook for beginners and more advanced students of the Babylonian Talmud, examines in detail a number of typical lengthy passages with a view to showing how Talmudic reasoning operates and how the Talmud was compiled by its final editors. The book serves as an introduction to the nature of this fascinating work on which the Jewish mind has been intellectually stimulated and nourished for over 1500 years. Original insights into the Talmudic debates are provided for the consideration of Talmudic experts but the work is intended chiefly as a guide to students who wish to obtain a more than superficial idea of what the Talmud really is about.

A systematic, chronological study by one of the world's leading Jewish theologians. A masterly guide to the major currents of Jewish thought.

The founding rabbi of the new London Synagogue further defends his thesis concluding the 1984 edition that social, economic, political, and theological factors have always shaped halakhah (Jewish law)