Talmudic Stories: Narrative Art, Composition, and Culture

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding contribution to Judaic Studies.
Review: In Talmudic Stories: Narrative Art, Composition, And Culture, Jeffrey Rubenstein (assistant professor in the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University) draws attention to the literary aspects and cultural contexts of six Babylonian Talmud stories and provides a framework essential for a proper appreciation and understanding of their narrative art, meanings, and importance in Judaic studies. The chapters composing Talmudic Stories include: Torah, Shame, and "The Oven of Akhnai"; Elisha ben Abuya: Torah and the Sinful Sage; Torah and the Mundane Life; The Education of R. Shimon bar Yohai; Rabbinic Authority and the Destruction of Jerusalem; Torah, Lineage, and the Academic Hierarchy; Torah, Gentiles, and Eschatology. Talmudic Stories is an impressive work of insightful scholarship and a highly recommended addition to academic, temple, and personal Judaic studies collections.