Breaking The Jewish Code Perry Stone

answered through our Jewish interpreter. At times the mystical rabbi would turn and pull a book from a shelf of seemingly endless Jewish commentaries, quoting from the Oral Tradition, the Talmud, or other rabbinical sources. After a cordial meeting, I inquired about this idea of the Oral Tradition. I discovered the Jews have not only the Torah but also numerous other spiritual and religious books. Over the centuries of contemporary societies, at times it was unclear about how to enact certain laws in the Torah, so rabbis compiled a series of writings called the Talmud. One called the Jerusalem Talmud was produced in Israel around a.d. 400, and the other, the Babylonian Talmud , was completed in a.d. 499. Both accepted the writings of Jewish law compiled by Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi (president of the Sanhedrin) from the second and third century. As rabbis discussed each Mishna (oral tradition), adding their legends, anecdotes, and theological opinions, a work called the Gemara was compiled. The Mishna and Gemara together make up the Talmud. The Midrash (meaning study) is an additional commentary on the Scriptures. Devout Jews spend their lives in the study of the Torah and the Oral Tradition, gleaning from all of the above books by reading, asking questions, commenting, and reading again.1 Is it any wonder that the Jewish mind is centered on education? Many Jews are so studious that while many youth in the West are being entertained for an average of seven hours a day by television, their Jewish counterparts are studying these ancient texts.