By
– August 30, 2011
It says in Pirke Avot 1:6, “Provide yourself with a teacher; get yourself a companion.” To follow that sage advice, take Rabbi Burton Visotzky as your teacher and his new book as your companion. Visotzky, Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies at The Jewish Theological Seminary, first sets the scenes for the “cast of characters,” the rabbis who are mentioned in the Talmud with their attributes and their motivations. Then he illustrates their interaction in the various stories, acting as an interactive guide leading us through the paths of tangled brambles of Talmud. Visotzky’s express purpose is to examine these rabbinic stories from the third to the ninth centuries CE and “unlock them.” As he writes: “In learning how and why these oft-told tales were spun, we can learn how they continue to hold value for the fabric of our lives.”
Throughout the book, Visotzky cracks the “code” of these amazing Talmudic stories by revealing, explaining, clarifying, and extracting the inner kernel of the story along with the characters involved. It is as if he were reading our minds about the questions we have been asking or had not even thought to ask. He does all of this in a delightful conversational and humor-filled style. Although at times, his use of vernacular English and contemporary and secular literary analogies intrude on the lesson. Sage Tales demystifies the Talmudic texts so that the morals and values are revealed through the brilliance of this teacher, perhaps similar to the teachers of Mishnah and Gemara known as Tannaim and Amoraim of old. Just as the Tannaim were also referred to as “living books,” Rabbi Burton Visotzky fulfills this role as he discusses and distills the wisdom and wonder from the stories of the rabbis of the Talmud. Glossary, recommended reading, who’s who.
Throughout the book, Visotzky cracks the “code” of these amazing Talmudic stories by revealing, explaining, clarifying, and extracting the inner kernel of the story along with the characters involved. It is as if he were reading our minds about the questions we have been asking or had not even thought to ask. He does all of this in a delightful conversational and humor-filled style. Although at times, his use of vernacular English and contemporary and secular literary analogies intrude on the lesson. Sage Tales demystifies the Talmudic texts so that the morals and values are revealed through the brilliance of this teacher, perhaps similar to the teachers of Mishnah and Gemara known as Tannaim and Amoraim of old. Just as the Tannaim were also referred to as “living books,” Rabbi Burton Visotzky fulfills this role as he discusses and distills the wisdom and wonder from the stories of the rabbis of the Talmud. Glossary, recommended reading, who’s who.
Peninnah Schram, well-known storyteller & author, is Professor of Speech and Drama at Yeshiva University’s Stern College. Her latest book is an illustrated anthology, The Hungry Clothes and Other Jewish Folktales (Sterling Publishing) and a CD, The Minstrel & the Storyteller, with singer/guitarist Gerard Edery (Sefarad Records). She is a recipient of a Covenant Award for Outstanding Jewish Educator and the 2003 National Storytelling Network’s Lifetime Achievement Award.