Book of Legends/Sefer Ha-Aggadah : Legends from the Talmud and Midrash

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Summary: The story- thought of the Gemara
Review: Bialik and Ravnitsky monumental editing work selected the aggadic or story portion of the Gemara, and organized them in accordance with themes. They succeed in making the Gemara come alive for many who would otherwise not know it. Their work came at a transition time when many Jews were leaving Traditional learning. Essentially Bialik had a program for educating Jews in the sources, in the Tradition so that they would be fully part of despite there not having learned in the Yeshiva world.
This English translation should widen the circle of those who study and learn this work. I would add that there is another English translation of parts of this work. It is done by my late teacher and friend Rabbi Chaim Pearl whose retelling of legends of the sages is unmatched in its clarity and insight.

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Summary: An excellent and entertaining resource
Review: Bialik's collection is a delight to read. Filled with stories that give insight into biblical stories and Jewish history, the contents of this book add tremendous texture to Torah discussion and participation in markers of the Jewish year and Jewish life. Each week I am excited to see what the Book of Legends might have to say about the Torah portion. Were the sages troubled by the same passages I was? Did they see something completely different? The Book of Legends is also great for browsing at random. Every time I open it I find something that makes me think, laugh, or pause and scratch my head. It is an excellent addition to a primarily English speaking Jew's library.

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Summary: Legends: Lessons Lifted from Life
Review: I recently heard something that bears repeating as it relates to this treasured book, Sefer Ha-Aggahah. It says, in the Christian tradition, that Jesus told parables to the masses so that the veiled, deeper truths about life would be revealed to those whom sought after it. Of course, the obvious inference is that one would have to know that there is something beyond stories that make them relevant. Judaism is magnificent because its tenets provoke research. It is a progressive, revelatory social document. Apart from the mystical elements of its semitic tongue, the stories, especially those collected by the editors, Hayim N. Bialik and Yehoshua H. Ravinitzky represent oftentimes contradictory versions from traditional accounts from the rabbis. This book, as some other reviewers have mentioned is a wonder to read. It is edited in such a way that it may be accessed by personalities or by subject. Although one should view these traditions as customs, it seems to fill many a void left by the writers of the Bible.

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Summary: The beauty of tradition...
Review: In our overly scientific day and age, which has greatly influenced how we approach the Sacred, specifically Sacred texts, this book fills in the lacunae of the void.

In this book can be found the rabbinical answers to the nagging questions found in the Torah, questions that still linger today but which tend to be filled in with more historical/'scientific' answers than stories that lift the spirit. Are these stories to be found in this book 'true'? To ask the question misses the point. They elevate the spirit and lift us out of the mundane and bring back the art of telling the story to reveal deeper insights into the mysteries of life.

The rabbis were curious and inquisitive souls and what we have here is a compendium of the diverse answers they often gave. Some of the stories are fantastical, others whimsical and others simply bizarre, but they never cease to captivate and never cease to enlighten. A vital resource for any library.

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Summary: The Creative Core Judaism
Review: It is hard to believe that it was only so far back as 1908 that Russian poet Hayim Bialik and editor Yehoshua Ravnitsky put their heads together to create the Sefer Ha-Aggadah, a compendium of legends, history and lessons from the Talmud and the Midrash. Originally, in Hebrew (much of that translated from the Aramaic) it was finally translated into English by William Braude, appearing in 1992. Until that time, much of the material covered was only available to students of the Talmud, a loss to many generations of Jews as well as other of different faiths around the world.

Irreverently, I think of 'The Book of Legends' as the 'juicy parts' redaction of the some of the most important bodies of work in the Jewish faith. The Talmud is composed of both law and legend, and the stones of that law grind exceedingly fine. To be honest, I am much more drawn to the lore and legends; because I believe it is there that the true center of the Jewish spirit can be found. Whether it be the story of Solomon's struggles with demon kind, or the thoughts of the sages on the nature of God, this is the imagination and the heart of thousands of years of belief.

Am I exaggerating? I don't know. But this material has lived as oral tradition from generation to generation, and now we are able to hold it in printed form, simply to read or for research. Bialik and Ravnitsky put an immense effort into gather the material together from many diverse sources, and then managing to arrange it is such a fashion that it is accessible. The first parts are organized in accordance with Jewish biblical history, and then as the deeds of the Sages. Following sections turn to Israel's place in the world, the nature of God, man, his community and the world itself. This adds up to a mighty volume of over 800 large pages of small print.

I won't pretend that this is easy reading. Much is, but just as much contains the cryptic and dense style one would expect from material that has lived long as verbal tradition. But both the original compilers and the translator have done their utmost to bring much that was almost secret into the light. For me it contains the answers to many of the puzzles of Jewish history and belief. And a whole new set of questions to ask and think about. I hope it does the same for you.

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Summary: No substitute
Review: No other collection of rabbinic writings concerning the sages, their ethics, and their stories reaches the breadth or depth of this collection. This book is not meant to be read cover to cover but to be perused and explored bit by bit. This reference work has endured for over 100 years as Sefer HaAggada in Hebrew and captures the same enduring quality in the English.

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Summary: The best collection and source of Aggadah
Review: One of the other reviewers on this website makes the bizarre and incorrect assertation that it is wrong to study aggadah (the non-legal sections of rabbinic works) without first mastering Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). This is ignorance of the highest order. Even if one were to adopt fundamentalist Orthodox Judaism, that comment is still wrong. In fact, orthodox Judaism explicitly teaches that one should astudy aggadah first, and then only learn Kabbalah after one is at least 40 years old.

Further, the previous reviewer incorrectly charged the editors with falsely mistranslation passages in order to please a certain point of view. This is pure fiction.

The fact is that the Jewish tradition has always held the aggadah in the highest esteem, and it is only among the post-16th century Ashkenazi Orthodox that we find it reduced to the pathetic state that is has been in. Fortunately, the editors of this compilation come to the resuce by presenting all the classic aggadic passages from the Mishna, both of the Talmuds (Yerushalmi and Bavli), and most of the major midrash compilations.

I cannot overemphasize the ease of use; any English speaker will find it extremely easy to look up any aggadic passage based on subject or verse. further, it is comprehensive beyond anything that I couldhave wished for. if you are secular, or religious Jew, this book is for you. If you a Reform Conservative or Modern Orthodox Jew, it is for you. If you are a gentile who wants to learn about Judaism, this is for you.

However, as the above reviewer demonstrates, if you are an uneducated religious fundamentalist, this book may not be to your liking.

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Summary: limits the light of judaism
Review: the agadah of talmud as known is the deepest part of the talmud in its way and putting it in any sort of frame or summary needs lots of study in the deeper sections of torah like the kabalah etc. therefore for someone that truly has a idea in the great light it contains bialik limited it in a drastic way with many misquotes etc.after all deeper you understand in torah will bring you closer and enrich your connection to g_d and we saw the contrary from bialik and co.which brings us to the conclusion that many of his teachings were translated to his comfort and desire.

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Summary: The stuff of Legends - The Rabbis Speak!
Review: These are made up things that help to set your contextual understanding of the particular partia. Great for cross referencing and indexing the pentatuch.