The Talmud: The Steinsaltz Edition. A Reference Guide.
New York: Random House, 1989. First American Edition. Hardbound. Quarto in dust jacket, xii, 323 pp., b/w illustrations, abbreviations, index. Very Good. Item #97382
ISBN: 0394576659
Following an introduction Steinsaltz offers guides to the many areas of learning, the skills, the tools and the methods that one requires access to in order to be able to make a go of Talmud study. There are sections on The Essential Nature of the Talmud, Historical Background, the Tractates of the Mishnah and the Talmud, Aramaic, Guideline for Talmudic Study, Mishnaic Methodology, Talmudic Methodology, Talmudic Hermeneutics, Halakhic Concepts and Terms, Talmudic Weights and Measures, Rules Governing Halakhic Decision-Making, Rashi Script and Abbreviations (this last item being one of the great puzzles for the uninitiated or those less than fully initiated). An invaluable guide to the study of Talmud for those studying with Steinsaltz's translation or any other and no less for those studying out of a Vilna Shas.
Price: $15.95