The Students' Guide Through the Talmud

Long acknowledged as one of the landmarks in Rabbinic scholarship, this work is being republished in English for the first time in over forty years, more than 150 years since the work's original publication in Hebrew. The Student's Guide Through The Talmud dates from the illustrious author's later years and in it he attempts to formulate the nature, extent and authority of tradition.

Like the Talmud itself, this book bears a two-fold character and deals with both the Halachah, the legal aspects of the Talmud, and the Aggadah, the non-legal portions. Presenting his analysis with the experience and insight of a world-renowned talmudic scholar, R. Chajes imparts a detailed history and classification of the Talmud and its underlying oral tradition.

He presents rational explanations for many of the seemingly irrational statements of the Talmud, describing the methodologies utilized and the rationales behind them. The translator has added extensive footnotes that explain the author's voluminous talmudic citations so that even a novice will be able to follow the work. After completing this book, a reader will have gained insight into the inner workings of the Talmud and an understanding of the history and methodologies of the Oral Torah.