Vision and Valor ( An Illustrated History of the Talmud), Book 175pp

The history of the Jewish people is inextricably bound to one book – the Talmud, and especially the Babylonian Talmud. Composed over three and a half centuries , with hundreds of great scholars contributing to its contents and direction, this book has shaped traditional Jewish life until today. One cannot understand the values, beliefs and lifestyles of Jews past and present, except through the prism of Talmudic insight and lore. This book details in fascinating fashion how the Talmud was written; who its authors were and what types of lives they led and that ancient Jewish society looked like. This book is not an encyclopedia; rather it is a narrative about people, their humaneness, devotion to scholarship and their triumphs and disappointments.

The book allows the reader a glimpse into a long gone world that somehow still survives and is vital today, millennia later. In so doing, it helps reveal the miracle of Jewish survival and accomplishment in terribly adverse situations throughout the ages. For lay person and scholar alike, this book will be a vital source of information, perspective and even inspiration. It shows that the book that made and sustained the people of the book is the Talmud. Beautifully illustrated and clearly written, this book will be a necessary and welcome addition to anyone’s library – for those interested in knowing the secret of Judaism and its influence on humankind.