Question for any Jewish folks reading (soul, translation, atheist, bible)

[Mark S.]

"To save one life is as if you have saved the world." That's a quote from The Talmud, right? Is that an exact quote? And where specifically is it in The Talmud?

[june 7th]

Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he
had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single
life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the
entire world. --The Talmud, Mishna


(Hope this helps...I googled it!)

-A curious atheist!

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by june 7th

Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he
had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single
life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the
entire world. --The Talmud, Mishna


(Hope this helps...I googled it!)

-A curious atheist!

That's a big help. Thanks a million, june7th!

I want to quote this correctly though, so any Jewish folks feel free to chime in. Is The Talmud divided into chapters and verses? Or is citing it as The Talmud, Mishna, the most correct way to cite that passage?

[june 7th]

Tractate Sanhedrin 37a

"The actual Talmud verse states, `Whosoever preserves a single soul of Israel, Scripture ascribes to him as if he had preserved a complete world' (Tractate Sanhedrin 37a).

[emjbulls]

I'm a bad Jew so I'll let the better ones answer.

[june 7th]

"Any of the following would be correct: talmud Sanhedrin 37a, Talmud Sanhedrin 4:5, or Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5. Or you can substitute the word "Tractate" for "Talmud" and "Mishnah". "

Marks: I emailed someone who is a cantor at a Jewish synagogue, (as well as teaches Hebrew classes, prepares kids for bar mitzvahs, etc.) and the above was their "official" response.

(I "cut and pasted" it.)

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by emjbulls

I'm a bad Jew so I'll let the better ones answer.

LOL... I should say the same, as I have NO idea how to answer this!! Admittedly, I've never studied Talmud beyond a brief "overview" in Sunday School. Some non-Jews might not realize this, but Talmudic studies are reserved for the real scholars - and historically the men. Any good Rabbi would know the answer to this question, but your average run-of-the-mill Jew would not (unless they were Chasidic or super Orthodox, I suppose). Also, Talmud isn't like the Bible or Torah, because it's really a discussion of those texts... so there are different versions of the Talmud, and probably countless interpretations.

[gizmo980]

Here are some resources for you, which will hopefully give you some answers... I know you can do this yourself, but I am a librarian - so maybe that counts for something, LOL.

Judaism 101: Torah
Talmud/Mishna/Gemara

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by june 7th

"Any of the following would be correct: talmud Sanhedrin 37a, Talmud Sanhedrin 4:5, or Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5. Or you can substitute the word "Tractate" for "Talmud" and "Mishnah". "

Marks: I emailed someone who is a cantor at a Jewish synagogue, (as well as teaches Hebrew classes, prepares kids for bar mitzvahs, etc.) and the above was their "official" response.

Excellent. Thanks bunches! Did the cantor happen to mention which was his preferred translation?

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Here are some resources for you, which will hopefully give you some answers... I know you can do this yourself, but I am a librarian - so maybe that counts for something, LOL.

Judaism 101: Torah
Talmud/Mishna/Gemara

Hey, thanks a million! Much appreciated.

Is there any particular English translation of The Talmud that is considered more accurate or "acceptable"?