January 30, 1976 23
UtIKUll JUIVI)t1 NM)
Scholarly`Everyman's Talmud' Useful for All Readers
By ALLEN A. WARSEN
A scholarly work of great
usefulness to laymen and
scholars is "Everyman's
Talmud" by A. Cohen
(Schocken Books, 1975).
The Talmud, abbreviated
from Talmud Torah, is com-
posed of the Mishna and Ge-
mara (and the Midrash).
The Mishna consists of Six
Orders (Sedorim) divided
into 63 tractates (Massi-
chtoth) and contains 523
paragraphs..
It should be noted that
there is a Palestinian and a
Babylonian Talmud. The
Gemara in the Palestinian
Talmud is arranged in 39
tractates, and in the Baby-
lonian in 37, "but the Baby-
lonian Gemara is seven to
eight times the size of the
other."
The term Mishna is de-
rived from the verb
"shana" to repeat, "and
indicates oral teaching,
what is learned by repeti-
tion." We, therefore, refer
to the Talmud the Oral
Law, and to the Scriptures
as the Written Law.
Hillel, the foremost crea-
tor of the Mishna, was also
the founder of a School of
Tanairn (expounders of the
Mishna). So was Shamai, a
contemporary of Hillel. But
they differed in their inter-
pretation of the Torah.
Whereas Hillel interpreted
the Torah in a liberal man-
ner,- Shamai adhered to a
literal construction. "The
Talmud records over 300
points of divergence be-
tween them, and in the end
the teaching of Hillel pre-
vailed."
However, neither they nor
any other rabbi (with the
exception of "Acher" whose
name was Elisha B.
Abuyah) ever doubted in the
existence of God or in His
unity or incorporeality. Yet,
there are references in rab-
binic literature ascribing to
God anthropomorphic char-
acteristics. For instance,
"He (God) is said to wear
the phylacteries and wrap
Himself in the tallit; He of-
fers. prayer to Himself and
studies the Torah during
three hours of the day . . .
He visits the sick, sympa-
thizes with the mourner and
buries the dead."
The rabbis believed in the
existence of seven heavens.
Their names: V-ilon, Rakia,
Sheckakim, Zebul, Maon,
Machon and Araboth.
"Rakia" was the heaven
where the sun, moon and
stars were fixed. "Araboth"
was the heaven where the
Throne of Glory was located
and the abode of the minis-
tering angels.
"Everyman's Talmud,"
in addition to discussing
and interpreting talmudic
views on religion, moral
life, the hereafter, juris-
prudence, ect., is also con-
cerned with folklore, espe- .
cially with beliefs in
demonology, the evil eye,
magic and devination and
dreams.
The belief in evil spirits is
reflected in talmudic legis-
lation. A law regulating
what may or may not be
done- on the Sabbath pro-
vides: "Who extinguishes a
lamp through fear of gen-
tiles, or robbers, or through
fear of an evil spirit, is free
of guilt."
Fear of the evil eye was
universal in biblical and tal-
French Confirm Selling Arms
in 'Limited Number' to Arabs
PARIS (JTA) — French
official sources confirmed
that France has been selling
a "limited amount of mili-
tary equipment" to Egypt as
well as to other countries.
The French sources were
not prepared to specify the
type or the quantity of ma-
terial exported to these
states. Official spokesmen
stressed, however, that
France would "respect the
area's balance of power."
It is known that France
has sold Egypt electronic
equipm e nt, radar installa-
tions as well as a small
quantity ,.of "Crotale" mis-
sies. The French also hope
to sell Egypt the new
French combat plane "Delta
2000" which will roll off pro-
duction lines only in 1980, at
the earliest. Egypt has been
negotiating for French-
Israel Denies Limit
on Free Movement
JERUSALEM (ZINS) —
Official government spokes-
men are repudiating
charges that the regime will
limit the free movement of
Arabs in the country, or the
adoption of a strong army
policy following the Com-
munist victory in the muni-
cipal elections in Nazareth.
made "F-1A" but has re-
portedly not yet signed an
actual agreement to buy the
planes.
Other Arab countries
have acquired a relatively
large number of "Mirage"
planes, some of which have
been handed over to the
Egyptian air force. Uncon-
firmed reports say Egypt
has already received 48
_ ore are on
Mirages and m
the way.
France increasingly relies
on its arms exports to bal-
ance its foreign- trade
budget and more than 200,-
000 -French workers are di-
rectly employed by the arms
industry and several
hundred thousand more by
related industrial concerns.
In spite of this, French
President Valery Giscard
d'Estaing is being subjected
to strong pressure to stop
arms exports to sensitive
spots. This pressure origin-
ated mainly as a result of
the Lebanese fighting be-
tween Moslems and Chris-
tians.
Paris Archbishop Cardi-
nal Marty recently called
from the pulpit of Notre
Dame Cathedral on the gov-
ernment to stop the trade.
"It is immoral and wrong to
sell instruments of death,"
he declared.
medic times, and still pers-
ists. No wonder stories
about it abound in the Tal-
mud. Some tell of rabbis
whose looks turned people
in heaps of bones. One rabbi
was believed to be sightless.
Widespread was the be-
lief in magic and divination.
The practitioners of these
magical arts the Talmud
divides into the following
categories; rhabdomancer:
"one that useth divination
— i.e. a person who seizes
his staff and says, "Shall I
go or shall I not go?" "one
that practiseth augury, they
are persons who determine
times", enchanter, "one who
says, 'There was a serpent
on my right side, or a fox on
my left side and his tail
barrekmy way' "; sorcerer,
one "who actually performs
.:nagic, not merely practices
the illusions"; charmer,
`consulter with a familiar
spirit"; wizard, "a person
who places the bone of a cer-
tain animal in his mouth
and it speaks of its own ac-
cord"; necromancer, "one
who starves himself and
proceeds to spend the night
in a cemetery, so that a
spirit of uncleanness may
alight upon him."
Dreams have engaged
people's minds since times
immemorial. The dreams
of Joseph and Pharaoh
and those of Pharaoh's
chief baker and chief bar-
tender and their interpre-
tations are well known. It
Jewish Leaders Plan Events
for Solidarity Year With Israel
NEW YORK (JTA) —
Seventy leaders of the Jew-
ish community in the
United States, representing
Zionist and non-Zionist or-
ganizations, educational,
religious and fund-raising
bodies, met here to tran-
slate into action the pro-
gram decided upon at the
recent Solidarity Confer-
ence in Jerusalem.
Mrs. Charlotte Jacobson,
chairman of the World Zion-
ist Organization-American
Section, who called the
meeting and was its chair-
man, emphasized at the
very outset that the purpose
of the meeting was "to find
the ways necessary to fulfill
the promises we made in Je-
rusalem." Most of those par-
ticipating in the following
meeting had attended the
Jerusalem Conference.
Israel's Ambassador to
Washington, Simha Dinitz,
said the main goals of this
follow-up meeting were to
coordinate and intensify
existing programs and to
devise ways of reaching out
beyond the organized Jew-
' ish community to Jews
throughout the country.
participation in the al-
ready existing programs
as well.
To that end, 11 specific
areas of activity have been
selected and committees are
being set up to study and re-
port back within 30 days on
the possibilities for action
and innovation.
The committees being
named by Mrs. Jacobson are
in the following areas: tour-
ism, solidarity action. Yom
Haatzmaut demonstrations,
education towards Jewish
commitment, youth and Is-
rael volunteer programs,
coordination of college stu-
dent programs, economics
and business, fund-raising,
international conferences,
aliya and the Christian
world.
Mizrachi Attacked
on 'Who is a Jew II
NEW YORK — The Com-
mittee for Jewish Survival,
an ad hoc group, has called
for a nationwide campaign
against the Mizrachi, reli-
gious Zionist movement.
Michael Davidson of the
CJS staff, said the cam-
paign was initiated because
The consensus of the
the Mizrachi in Israel have
meeting was that the Jew-
broken promises over sev-
ish community must work
for a quantum jump in_ eral years to initiate
changes in Israeli law gov-
erning "Who is a Jew."
St. Johns Visit
The CJS charged that
Africa Synagogue
Mizrachi has not lived up to
promises to amend the six-
Author, journalist and
year-old law to include any-
lecturer Robert St. John has
one who has converted to
written The JeWish News of
Judaism in accordance with
an interesting experience
Jewish law.
during his current tour of
The CJS claims that
Africa with his wife, Ruth.
Mizrachi repeatedly prom-
St. John, a strong sup-
ised that it would not join
porter of Israel, and fre-
the government coalition
quent lecturer for the
in Israel until the law was
United Jewish Appeal, at-
amended. When Mizrachi
tended "an unusual'Shabat
service in the Em-Habanime joined the coalition last
year, CJS says, it prom-
Synagogue in the heart of
ised to set up a commission
Casablanca where I had dif-
to study the problem and
ficulty trying to explain (in
report within one year.
French and Ladino) my re-
Davidson charged that no
fusal to read aloud from the
commission
has even been
Torah."
formed and that Mizrachi
St. John, now in his 70s
only wanted to regain min-
and sporting a full beard, is
isterial positions in the Is-
a Christian.
rael government. "It is ob-
His letter continued that
vious that no positive results
the only unpleasantness
will be attained without ef-
during their trip has been
fecting their financial mech-
the "mad" inflation, making
anism, and this is what we
the price of gasoline $20 per
intend to do," Davidson
gallon and eggs 15 cents
said.
apiece.
is not surprising that
dreams were of interest to
the rabbis. Good examples
are dreams about animals.
"Five things are said in
connection with the ox: Who
dreams that he eats of its
flesh will grow rich; that an
ox had gored him, he will
have sons who will contend
with each other in Torah;
that it bit him, sufferings
will come upon him; that it
kicked him, a long journey
is destined for him; that he
rode upon it, he will ascend
to greatness. Who dreams of
an ass may hope for salva-
tion. Who dreams of an ele-
phant miracles will be
wrought for him."
"Everyman's Talmud" is a
stimulating, impressive and
well written book. It is a sig-
nificant contribution to the
literature dealing with the
Talmud.
AL KLINE
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