Talmud

The Talmud (Hebrew: תלמוד) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism. It is considered to be an authoritative record of rabbinic discussions on Jewish law, Jewish ethics, customs, legends and stories, tracing back to the traditions of the Pharisees.


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God

 * Wikipedia page: God in Judaism




 * לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאֵין שְׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה לֹא מִתּוֹךְ עַצְבוּת וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ עַצְלוּת וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ שְׂחוֹק וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ קַלּוּת רֹאשׁ וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ שִׂיחָה וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ דְּבַר שִׂמְחָה שֶׁל מִצְוָה
 * Shabbat 30b:5
 * Translations:
 * The Divine Presence rests upon an individual neither from an atmosphere of sadness, nor from an atmosphere of laziness, nor from an atmosphere of laughter, nor from an atmosphere of frivolity, nor from an atmosphere of idle conversation, nor from an atmosphere of idle chatter, but rather from an atmosphere imbued with the joy of a mitzva.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * The Divine Presence rests [upon man] though sadness, neither through sloth, nor through jesting, nor through levity, nor through loquacity, nor through [a host of] vain pursuits, but rather through the joyful performance of keeping one's religious duty.

Saving a life

 * הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִילּוּ אִיבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וְכָל־הַמְקַייֵם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מַעֲלִין עָלָיו כְּאִילּוּ קִייֵם עוֹלָם מָלֵא.‏
 * Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 4:9:1
 * Translation:
 * For anybody who destroys a single life it is counted as if he destroyed an entire world, and for anybody who preserves a single life it is counted as if he preserved an entire world.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Variants:
 * המאבד נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם מלא
 * Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 37a:13
 * Translation:
 * With regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Comments:
 * In some translations, the phrase "destroys a single life in Israel" is used.
 * הַמְאַבֵּד נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ אִבֵּד עוֹלָם מָלֵא. וְכָל הַמְקַיֵּם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מַעֲלֶה עָלָיו הַכָּתוּב כְּאִלּוּ קִיֵּם עוֹלָם מָלֵא.‏
 * Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5
 * Translation:
 * With regard to anyone who destroys one soul from the Jewish people, i.e., kills one Jew, the verse ascribes him blame as if he destroyed an entire world, as Adam was one person, from whom the population of an entire world came forth. And conversely, anyone who sustains one soul from the Jewish people, the verse ascribes him credit as if he sustained an entire world.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Whoever destroys a single life is considered by Scripture to have destroyed the whole world, and whoever saves a single life is considered by Scripture to have saved the whole world.
 * Parma Italy, mid-13th century codex; as cited in "The Origins of the Precept 'Whoever Saves a Life Saves the World'", Philologos, Mosaic Magazine. Oct 21, 2016.
 * That is why We ordained for the Children of Israel that whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity.
 * Quran 5:32
 * Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.
 * Schindler's List (1993)
 * He who saves a single life saves the world entire.
 * Schindler's Ark (1982)

The Golden Rule



 * דַּעֲלָךְ סְנֵי לְחַבְרָךְ לָא תַּעֲבֵיד — זוֹ הִיא כׇּל הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָּהּ, וְאִידַּךְ פֵּירוּשַׁהּ הוּא, זִיל גְּמוֹר.‏
 * Shabbat 31a:6
 * Translation:
 * That which is hateful to you do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, and the rest is its interpretation. Go study.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Comments:
 * This principle is sometimes referred to as the "Silver Rule", which is a weaker version of the Golden Rule.


 * גַּיְּירֵנִי עַל מְנָת שֶׁתְּלַמְּדֵנִי כׇּל הַתּוֹרָה כּוּלָּהּ כְּשֶׁאֲנִי עוֹמֵד עַל רֶגֶל אַחַת!‏
 * Shabbat 31a:6
 * Translation:
 * Teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Comments:
 * Said by a prospective convert to Hillel the Elder.

Majority rule

 * חזר ואמר להם אם הלכה כמותי מן השמים יוכיחו יצאתה בת קול ואמרה מה לכם אצל ר״א שהלכה כמותו בכ״מ עמד רבי יהושע על רגליו ואמר (דברים ל, יב) לא בשמים היא מאי לא בשמים היא אמר רבי ירמיה שכבר נתנה תורה מהר סיני אין אנו משגיחין בבת קול שכבר כתבת בהר סיני בתורה (שמות כג, ב) אחרי רבים להטות אשכחיה רבי נתן לאליהו א״ל מאי עביד קוב״ה בההיא שעתא א״ל קא חייך ואמר נצחוני בני נצחוני בני
 * Bava Metzia 59b:4–5
 * Translation:
 * Rabbi Eliezer then said to them: If the halakha is in accordance with my opinion, Heaven will prove it. A Divine Voice emerged from Heaven and said: Why are you differing with Rabbi Eliezer, as the halakha is in accordance with his opinion in every place that he expresses an opinion? Rabbi Yehoshua stood on his feet and said: It is written: "It is not in heaven" (Deuteronomy 30:12). The Gemara asks: What is the relevance of the phrase "It is not in heaven" in this context? Rabbi Yirmeya says: Since the Torah was already given at Mount Sinai, we do not regard a Divine Voice, as You already wrote at Mount Sinai, in the Torah: "After a majority to incline" (Exodus 23:2). Since the majority of Rabbis disagreed with Rabbi Eliezer's opinion, the halakha is not ruled in accordance with his opinion. The Gemara relates: Years after, Rabbi Natan encountered Elijah the prophet and said to him: What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do at that time, when Rabbi Yehoshua issued his declaration? Elijah said to him: The Holy One, Blessed be He, smiled and said: My children have triumphed over Me; My children have triumphed over Me.
 * The William Davidson Talmud

Observance

 * בְּנִי, הִזָּהֵר בְּדִבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים יוֹתֵר מִדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה. שֶׁדִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה יֵשׁ בָּהֶן עֲשֵׂה וְלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה. וְדִבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים — כׇּל הָעוֹבֵר עַל דִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים חַיָּיב מִיתָה.‏
 * Eruvin 21b:8
 * Translation:
 * My son, be careful to fulfill the words of the Sages [soferim] even more than the words of the Torah. For the words of the Torah include positive and negative commandments, and even with regard to the negative commandments, the violation of many of them is punishable only by lashes. Whereas with respect to the words of the Sages, anyone who transgresses the words of the Sages is liable to receive the death penalty, as it is stated: "And whoever breaches through a hedge, a snake shall bite him" (Ecclesiastes 10:8), taking hedges to refer metaphorically to decrees.
 * The William Davidson Talmud


 * תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: נֶאֱמַר: ״כַּבֵּד אֶת אָבִיךָ וְאֶת אִמֶּךָ״, וְנֶאֱמַר: ״כַּבֵּד אֶת ה׳ מֵהוֹנֶךָ״, הִשְׁוָה הַכָּתוּב כִּבּוּד אָב וָאֵם לִכְבוֹד הַמָּקוֹם. נֶאֱמַר: ״אִישׁ אִמּוֹ וְאָבִיו תִּירָאוּ״, וְנֶאֱמַר: ״אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ תִּירָא וְאֹתוֹ תַעֲבֹד״, הִשְׁוָה הַכָּתוּב מוֹרָאַת אָב וָאֵם לְמוֹרָאַת הַמָּקוֹם. נֶאֱמַר: ״מְקַלֵּל אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ מוֹת יוּמָת״, וְנֶאֱמַר: ״אִישׁ אִישׁ כִּי יְקַלֵּל אֱלֹהָיו וְנָשָׂא חֶטְאוֹ״, הִשְׁוָה הַכָּתוּב בִּרְכַּת אָב וָאֵם לְבִרְכַּת הַמָּקוֹם.‏
 * Kiddushin 30b:18–20
 * Translations:
 * The Sages taught that it is stated: "Honor your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:11), and it is stated: "Honor the Lord with your wealth" (Proverbs 3:9). In this manner, the verse equates the honor of one's father and mother to the honor of the Omnipresent, as the term "honor" is used in both cases. Similarly, it is stated: "A man shall fear his mother and his father" (Leviticus 19:3), and it is stated: "You shall fear the Lord your God and Him you shall serve" (Deuteronomy 6:13). The verse equates the fear of one's father and mother to the fear of the Omnipresent. Likewise, it is stated: "He who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death" (Exodus 21:17), and it is stated: "Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin" (Leviticus 24:15). The verse equates the blessing, a euphemism for cursing, of one's '''father and mother to the blessing of the Omnipresent.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Our Rabbis taught: It says, "Honour your father and your mother" (Exodus 20:12), and it says, "Honor God with your wealth" (Proverbs 3:9). By using the same terminology, the Torah compares the honour you owe your father and mother to the honour you have to give to the Almighty. It also says, "Every person must respect his mother and his father" (Leviticus 19:3), and it says, "God your Lord you shall respect, Him you shall serve" (Deuteronomy 10:20). Here the same word, respect, is used. The Torah equates the respect you owe your parents with the respect you must show God. Furthermore it says, "Whoever curses his father or mother shall be put to death" (Exodus 21:17). And furthermore it says, "Anyone that curses God shall bear his sin" (Leviticus 24.–15). By using the same terms the Torah compares cursing of parents with cursing the Almighty.


 * כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאָסוּר לְטָהֵר אֶת הַטָּמֵא כָּךְ אָסוּר לְטַמֵּא אֶת הַטָּהוֹר.‏
 * Jerusalem Talmud, Terumot 5:3:5
 * Translations:
 * Just as it is forbidden to declare the impure as pure, so it is forbidden to declare the pure as impure.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Just as it is forbidden to permit that which is prohibited, so it is forbidden to prohibit that which is permitted.
 * Lewis Browne: The Wisdom of Israel: An Anthology (1945), p. 232

Marriage



 * לְעוֹלָם יִמְכּוֹר אָדָם כׇּל מַה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ וְיִשָּׂא בַּת תַּלְמִיד חָכָם, וְיַשִּׂיא בִּתּוֹ לְתַלְמִיד חָכָם
 * Pesachim 49a:22
 * Translation:
 * One should always be willing to sell all he has in order to marry the daughter of a Torah scholar and in order to marry off his daughter to a Torah scholar.
 * The William Davidson Talmud

Money

 * לעולם ישליש אדם את מעותיו שליש בקרקע ושליש בפרקמטיא ושליש תחת ידו
 * Bava Metzia 42a:3
 * Translations:
 * A person should always divide his money into three; he should bury one-third in the ground, and invest one-third in business [bifrakmatya], and keep one-third in his possession.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Let every man divide his money into three parts, and invest a third in land, a third in business, and a third let him keep by him in reserve.

Law

 * לֵיהּ מִידֵּי בְּקַשִּׁישׁוּתָא תַּלְיָא מִילְּתָא בְּטַעְמָא תַּלְיָא מִילְּתָא וְטַעְמָא מַאי זִיל
 * Bava Batra 142b:10
 * Translations:
 * Does the matter depend upon age? The matter depends upon the reason behind the ruling.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * A legal decision depends not on the teacher's age, but on the force of his argument.

Noahide laws



 * תנו רבנן שבע מצות נצטוו בני נח דינין וברכת השם ע״ז גילוי עריות ושפיכות דמים וגזל ואבר מן החי
 * Sanhedrin 56a:24
 * Translation:
 * The descendants of Noah, i.e., all of humanity, were commanded to observe seven mitzvot: The mitzva of establishing courts of judgment; and the prohibition against blessing, i.e., cursing, the name of God; and the prohibition of idol worship; and the prohibition against forbidden sexual relations; and the prohibition of bloodshed; and the prohibition of robbery; and the prohibition against eating a limb from a living animal.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Comments:
 * These seven laws are referred to as the Noahide Laws. They are considered to be binding on all of humanity (i.e., all the descendants of Noah).

King

 * עבד מלך כמלך׃
 * Shevuot 47b:6
 * Translation:
 * The servant of a king is like a king.
 * The William Davidson Talmud


 * שמסרבין לקטן ואין מסרבין לגדול
 * Bava Metzia 87a:1
 * Translation:
 * One may decline the request of a lesser man, but one may not decline the request of a great man.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * One may decline the request of a lesser person, but one may not decline the request of a great person.

Government



 * אִם יִהְיוּ כׇּל הַיָּמִים דְּיוֹ, וַאֲגַמִּים קוּלְמוֹסִים, וְשָׁמַיִם יְרִיעוֹת, וְכׇל בְּנֵי אָדָם לַבְלָרִין — אֵין מַסְפִּיקִים לִכְתּוֹב חֲלָלָהּ שֶׁל רְשׁוּת.‏
 * Shabbat 11a:5
 * Translation:
 * Even if all the seas would be ink, and the reeds that grow near swamps would be quills, and the heavens would be parchment upon which the words would be written, and all the people would be scribes; all of these are insufficient to write the unquantifiable space of governmental authority, i.e., all the considerations with which a government must concern itself and deal.
 * The William Davidson Talmud

Justice

 * אֵלּוּ הֵן הַנִּסְקָלִין, הַבָּא עַל הָאֵם, וְעַל אֵשֶׁת הָאָב, וְעַל הַכַּלָּה, וְעַל הַזְּכוּר, וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה, וְהָאִשָּׁה הַמְבִיאָה אֶת הַבְּהֵמָה, וְהַמְגַדֵּף, וְהָעוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, וְהַנּוֹתֵן מִזַּרְעוֹ לַמֹּלֶךְ, וּבַעַל אוֹב וְיִדְּעוֹנִי, וְהַמְחַלֵּל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, וְהַמְקַלֵּל אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ, וְהַבָּא עַל נַעֲרָה הַמְאֹרָסָה, וְהַמֵּסִית, וְהַמַּדִּיחַ, וְהַמְכַשֵּׁף, וּבֵן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה. הַבָּא עַל הָאֵם, חַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם אֵם וּמִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אָב. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אֵינוֹ חַיָּב אֶלָּא מִשּׁוּם הָאֵם בִּלְבָד. הַבָּא עַל אֵשֶׁת אָב חַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אָב וּמִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ, בֵּין בְּחַיֵּי אָבִיו בֵּין לְאַחַר מִיתַת אָבִיו, בֵּין מִן הָאֵרוּסִין בֵּין מִן הַנִּשּׂוּאִין. הַבָּא עַל כַּלָּתוֹ, חַיָּב עָלֶיהָ מִשּׁוּם כַּלָּתוֹ וּמִשּׁוּם אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ, בֵּין בְּחַיֵּי בְנוֹ בֵּין לְאַחַר מִיתַת בְּנוֹ, בֵּין מִן הָאֵרוּסִין בֵּין מִן הַנִּשּׂוּאִין. הַבָּא עַל הַזְּכוּר וְעַל הַבְּהֵמָה, וְהָאִשָּׁה הַמְבִיאָה אֶת הַבְּהֵמָה, אִם אָדָם חָטָא, בְּהֵמָה מֶה חָטָאת, אֶלָּא לְפִי שֶׁבָּאת לָאָדָם תַּקָּלָה עַל יָדָהּ, לְפִיכָךְ אָמַר הַכָּתוּב תִּסָּקֵל. דָּבָר אַחֵר, שֶׁלֹּא תְהֵא בְּהֵמָה עוֹבֶרֶת בַּשּׁוּק וְיֹאמְרוּ זוֹ הִיא שֶׁנִּסְקַל פְּלוֹנִי עַל יָדָהּ:
 * Mishnah Sanhedrin 7:4
 * Translations:
 * These transgressors are those who are stoned to death: One who engages in intercourse with his mother; or with his father's wife, even if she is not his mother; or with his daughter-in-law; or with a male; or with an animal; and a woman who engages in intercourse with an animal. And one who blasphemes, and one who engages in idol worship. And one who gives of his offspring to Molekh, and a necromancer, and a sorcerer. And one who desecrates Shabbat, and one who curses his father or his mother, and one who engages in intercourse with a betrothed young woman, and an inciter who incites individuals to idol worship, and a subverter who incites an entire city to idol worship, and a warlock, and a stubborn and rebellious son. The mishna elaborates: One who unwittingly engages in intercourse with his mother who is also his father's wife is liable to bring two sin-offerings for his intercourse with her: One due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one's mother and one due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one's father's wife. Rabbi Yehuda says: He is liable to bring only one sin-offering, due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one's mother. One who unwittingly engages in intercourse with his father's wife while his father is married to her is liable to bring two sin-offerings: One due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one's father's wife and one due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with a married woman. He is liable due to the former prohibition both during his father's lifetime and after his father's death, and whether the relationship between the woman and his father is one of betrothal or one of marriage. Likewise, one who unwittingly engages in intercourse with his daughter-in-law during his son's lifetime is liable to bring two sin-offerings for his intercourse with her: One due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with one's daughter-in-law, and one due to the prohibition against engaging in intercourse with a married woman. The former liability applies both during his son's lifetime and after his son's death, and whether the relationship between the woman and his son is one of betrothal or one of marriage. A man who engages in intercourse with a male or with an animal, and a woman who engages in intercourse with an animal, are executed by stoning. The animal is likewise stoned to death. The mishna asks: If the person sinned by doing this, how did the animal sin? Rather, because a calamity was caused to a person by it, therefore the verse states that it should be stoned, so that it does not cause another to sin. Alternatively, it is so that this animal will not pass through the marketplace, and those who see it will say: This is the animal because of which so-and-so was stoned, and its existence would shame his memory.
 * The William Davidson Talmud

Idolatry

 * שֶׁכׇּל הַכּוֹפֵר בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה נִקְרָא ״יְהוּדִי״
 * Megillah 13a:2
 * Translations:
 * Anyone who repudiates idolatry is called Yehudi.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Whosoever denies idols is called a Jew.

Gentiles



 * התם בשבע מצות דידהו׃
 * Sanhedrin 59a:5
 * Translation:
 * There, in the baraita, the reference is to a gentile who engages in the study of their seven mitzvot. It is a mitzva for a gentile to study the halakhot that pertain to the seven Noahide seven Noahide mitzvot, and when he does so he is highly regarded.
 * The William Davidson Talmud

Jesus

 * שְׁפִילִית לְסֵיפֵיהּ דַּעֲווֹן גִּלְיוֹן, וּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ: אֲנָא לָא לְמִיפְחַת מִן אוֹרָיְיתָא דְּמֹשֶׁה אֲתֵיתִי [וְלָא] לְאוֹסֹפֵי עַל אוֹרָיְיתָא דְמֹשֶׁה אֲתֵיתִי
 * Shabbat 116b:2
 * Translation:
 * I proceeded to the end of the avon gilayon, and it is written: I, avon gilayon, did not come to subtract from the Torah of Moses, and I did not come to add to the Torah of Moses.
 * The William Davidson Talmud

Sin

 * אִם רוֹאֶה אָדָם שֶׁיִּצְרוֹ מִתְגַּבֵּר עָלָיו — יֵלֵךְ לְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין מַכִּירִין אוֹתוֹ, וְיִלְבַּשׁ שְׁחוֹרִים וְיִתְעַטֵּף שְׁחוֹרִים, וְיַעֲשֶׂה מַה שֶּׁלִּבּוֹ חָפֵץ, וְאַל יְחַלֵּל שֵׁם שָׁמַיִם בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא.‏
 * Moed Katan 17a:12
 * Translation:
 * If a person sees that his evil inclination is gaining control over him and he cannot overcome it, then he should go to a place where he is not known. He should wear black, and he should wrap his head in black, as if he were a mourner. Perhaps these changes will influence him, so that he not sin. Even if these actions do not help, he should at least do as his heart desires in private and not desecrate the name of Heaven in public.
 * The William Davidson Talmud


 * בָּתַר גַּנָּבָא גְּנוֹב, וְטַעְמָא טְעֵים.‏
 * Berakoth 5b:20
 * Translations:
 * One who steals from a thief has a taste of theft.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * If you steal from a thief, you also have a taste of it.
 * Comments:
 * Just because someone steals, you have no right to rob them.

Afterlife

 * הַיּוֹם יוֹשֵׁב בְּחֵיקוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם הַיּוֹם נוֹלַד רַב יְהוּדָה בְּבָבֶל
 * Kiddushin 72b:1
 * Translation:
 * Today he is sitting in the lap of Abraham our forefather, since he has just been circumcised. He added: Today Rav Yehuda was born in Babylonia.
 * The William Davidson Talmud


 * שְׁלֹשָׁה פְּתָחִים יֵשׁ לַגֵּיהִנָּם, אֶחָד בַּמִּדְבָּר וְאֶחָד בַּיָּם וְאֶחָד בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם.‏
 * Eruvin 19a:12
 * Translations:
 * There are three entrances to Gehenna, one in the wilderness, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * There are three gates to Gehinam (purgatory) — one of them is in Jerusalem.

Miscellaneous



 * לֹא הִגְלָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לְבֵין הָאוּמּוֹת אֶלָּא כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתּוֹסְפוּ עֲלֵיהֶם גֵּרִים
 * Pesachim 87b:14
 * Translations:
 * The Holy One, Blessed be He, exiled Israel among the nations only so that converts would join them.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Why did G-d exile the Jewish people? To make converts of the world.


 * לְעוֹלָם יְהֵא אָדָם רַךְ כְּקָנֶה וְאַל יְהֵא קָשֶׁה כְּאֶרֶז.‏
 * Taanit 20b:3
 * Translations:
 * A person should always be soft like a reed and he should not be stiff like a cedar.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * A man should endeavor to be as pliant as a reed, and never unyielding like the cedar.


 * חברך קרייך חמרא אוכפא לגביך מוש א״ל דכתיב
 * Bava Kamma 92b:5
 * Translation:
 * If your friend calls you a donkey, prepare a saddle for your back.
 * The William Davidson Talmud


 * אָמַר לָא בְּסָבֵי טַעְמָא וְלָא בְּדַרְדַּקֵּי עֵצָה.‏
 * Shabbat 89b:4
 * Translations:
 * There is no reason in elders and no wisdom in youth.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * In old men there is no taste, in young no insight.
 * Comments:
 * Meaning: The old lack enthusiasm, the young lack shrewdness.


 * יַנְקוּתָא — כְּלִילָא דְּוַורְדָּא, סָבוּתָא — כְּלִילָא דְחִילְפָא.‏
 * Shabbat 152a:4
 * Translations:
 * Youth is a crown of roses; old age is a crown of thorns.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Youth is a crown of roses, old age a crown of willows.
 * Comments:
 * Meaning: Youth is a light burden, old age a heavy one.


 * לְעוֹלָם תְּהֵא שְׂמֹאל דּוֹחָה וְיָמִין מְקָרֶבֶת
 * Sotah 47a:6
 * Translations:
 * It should always be the left, weaker, hand that pushes another away and the right, stronger, hand that draws him near.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Let your left hand turn away what your right hand attracts.


 * עֲשָׂרָה קַבִּים יוֹפִי יָרְדוּ לָעוֹלָם, תִּשְׁעָה נָטְלָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם וְאֶחָד כׇּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ.‏
 * Kiddushin 49b:5
 * Translations:
 * Ten kav of beauty descended to the world; Jerusalem took nine and all the rest of the world in its entirety took one.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Ten measures of beauty descended to the world, nine were taken by Jerusalem.


 * לֹא רָאָה שִׂמְחָה מִיָּמָיו. מִי שֶׁלֹּא רָאָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם בְּתִפְאַרְתָּהּ
 * Sukkah 51b:4
 * Translations:
 * One who did not see Jerusalem in its glory, never saw a beautiful city.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Whoever did not see Jerusalem in its days of glory, never saw a beautiful city in their life.


 * ״וְהַנֵּצַח״ — זוֹ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם.‏
 * Berakhot 58a:17
 * Translations:
 * The triumph; this is Jerusalem.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * "Eternity" — this refers to Jerusalem.


 * אֲפִילּוּ בִּשְׁעַת כִּשְׁלוֹנָהּ שֶׁל יְרוּשָׁלָיִם לֹא פָּסְקוּ מִמֶּנָּה אַנְשֵׁי אֲמָנָה
 * Shabbat 119b:11
 * Translations:
 * Even at the time of Jerusalem's failure, trustworthy people did not cease there.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Even during the time of Jerusalem's stumbling, men of faith did not cease from [living] there.


 * וְאֵין יְרוּשָׁלָיִם מִטַּמְּאָה בִּנְגָעִים
 * Yoma 12a:2
 * Translations:
 * The city of Jerusalem does not become ritually impure with the impurity of leprosy, since it belongs to all the Jewish people rather than to a specific tribe.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Jerusalem does not become impure through touching; Jerusalem will not be split by the tribes.


 * לָא חָרְבָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁחִלְּלוּ בָּהּ אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּמִשַׁבְּתוֹתַי הֶעְלִימוּ עֵינֵיהֶם וָאֵחַל בְּתוֹכָם״.‏
 * Shabbat 119b:6
 * Translations:
 * Jerusalem was destroyed only because people desecrated the Shabbat in it, as it is stated: "And from My Shabbatot they averted their eyes, and I was profaned among them" (Ezekiel 22:26).
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Jerusalem was only destroyed because its inhabitants desecrated the Shabbat, they refrained from reciting the Morning and Evening Shema, the children in the Torah day schools wasted their learning time, because they were not shame faced (to sin), because they made the minors equal to the adults, because one did not rebuke another, because they embarrassed Torah Scholars.


 * כׇּל שִׁיטָּה וְשִׁיטָּה שֶׁנָּטְלוּ גּוֹיִם מִירוּשָׁלַיִם, עָתִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהַחֲזִירָן לָהּ
 * Rosh Hashanah 23a:11
 * Translations:
 * Each and every acacia tree that the gentiles took from Jerusalem will be returned to the city '''by the Holy One, Blessed be He.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Each and every acacia tree that the non-Jews removed from Jerusalem, will be restored to it by the Holy One, Blessed be He, in the future.


 * כׇּל הַמִּתְאַבֵּל עַל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם — זוֹכֶה וְרוֹאֶה בְּשִׂמְחָתָהּ, וְשֶׁאֵינוֹ מִתְאַבֵּל עַל יְרוּשָׁלַיִם — אֵינוֹ רוֹאֶה בְּשִׂמְחָתָהּ.‏
 * Taanit 30b:4
 * Whoever mourns for Jerusalem will merit and see her future joy, and whoever does not mourn for Jerusalem will not see her future joy.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Whoever mourns for Jerusalem will be meritorious and will see its rejoicing and all who do not mourn for Jerusalem will not see its rejoicing.


 * לְעוֹלָם יְהֵא אָדָם עַנְוְותָן כְּהִלֵּל וְאַל יְהֵא קַפְּדָן כְּשַׁמַּאי.‏
 * Shabbat 30b:12
 * Translation:
 * A person should always be patient like Hillel and not impatient like Shammai.
 * The William Davidson Talmud


 * דאמרי אינשי אסא דקאי ביני חילפי אסא שמיה ואסא קרו ליה
 * Sanhedrin 44a:2
 * Translations:
 * Even when a myrtle is found among thorns, its name is myrtle and people call it myrtle.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * The myrtle that grows among thorns is a myrtle still.


 * לְפוּם גַּמְלָא שִׁיחְנָא
 * Sotah 13b:15
 * Translations:
 * Based on the camel is the burden.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * The burden is equal to the horse's strength.


 * וֶהֱוֵי זָנָב לָאֲרָיוֹת, וְאַל תְּהִי רֹאשׁ לַשּׁוּעָלִים
 * Pirkei Avot 4:15
 * Translations:
 * Be a tail unto lions, and not a head unto foxes.
 * Mishnah Yomit by Dr. Joshua Kulp
 * Join the company of lions rather than assume the lead among foxes.


 * הלכה: כְּתִיב לֹא תִקּוֹם וְלֹא תִטּוֹר אֶת בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ. הֵיךְ עֲבִידָה. הֲוָה מְקַטֵּעַ קוֹפָּד וּמְחַת סַכִּינָא לְיָדוֹי. תַּחֲזוֹר וְתִמְחֵי לְיָדֵיהּ.‏
 * Nedarim 9:4:2
 * Translations:
 * It is written: "You should not take revenge or nurse hatred against your fellow countrymen." How is that? He was cutting meat and the knife fell down on his hand. Should he go and hit his hand?
 * |en Translation and commentary by Heinrich W. Guggenheimer
 * Who takes vengeance or bears a grudge acts like one who, having cut one hand while handling a knife, avenges himself by stabbing the other hand.


 * נִכְנַס יַיִן — יָצָא סוֹד.‏
 * Eruvin 65a:19
 * Translations:
 * Typically, when wine entered the body, a secret emerged.
 * Typically, when wine entered the body, a secret emerged.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * When the wine's in, murder will out.


 * וְהָרְשׁוּת מְקַבֶּרֶת אֶת בְּעָלֶיהָ
 * Yoma 86b:18
 * Translations:
 * Authority buries one who owns it.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * Ambition destroys its possessor.


 * אָסוּר לִישַׁן בַּבַּיִת יְחִידִי, וְכׇל הַיָּשֵׁן בַּבַּיִת יְחִידִי — אֹחַזְתּוֹ לִילִית.‏
 * Shabbat 151b:10
 * Translations:
 * It is prohibited to sleep alone in a house, and anyone who sleeps alone in a house will be seized by the evil spirit Lilith.
 * The William Davidson Talmud
 * One may not sleep in a house alone [in a lonely house], and whoever sleeps in a house alone is seized by Lilith.


 * וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ
 * Pirkei Avot 2:4
 * Translations:
 * Do not trust in yourself until the day of your death.
 * Mishnah Yomit by Dr. Joshua Kulp
 * Trust not your own powers till the day of your death.

Rabbinic literature

 * The doctrines of religion are resolved into carefulness; carefulness into vigorousness; vigorousness into guiltlessness; guiltlessness into abstemiousness; abstemiousness into cleanliness; cleanliness into godliness.
 * Division of Mishna, as translated by Dr. A. S. Bettelheim. Religious zeal leads to cleanliness, cleanliness to purity, purity to godliness, godliness to humility to the fear of sin. Rabbi Pinhasben-Jaïr—Commentary on the lines from the Talmud. See also Talmudde Jerusalem, by Schwab, IV. 16. Commentary on the treatise Schabbath. Schul—Sentences of Proverbes du Talmud et du Midrasch. 463.

Fiction

 * Abe Petrovsky: Michael, may I tell you a story? Mike McDermott: Please. Abe Petrovsky: For generations, men in my family have been rabbis. In Israel; before that, in Europe. It was to be my calling. I was quite a prodigy, the pride of my yeshiva. The elders said I had a 40-year-old's understanding of the Midrash by the time I was 12. But by the time I was 13, I knew I could never be a rabbi. Mike McDermott: Why not? Abe Petrovsky: Because for all I understood of the Talmud, I never saw God there. Mike McDermott: You couldn't lie to yourself. Abe Petrovsky: I tried. I tried like crazy. I mean, people were counting on me. … My parents were destroyed, devastated by my decision. My father sent me away to New York to live with distant cousins. … Mike McDermott: And did your parents get over it? Abe Petrovsky: No. I always hoped that I would find some way to change their minds, but they were inconsolable. My father never spoke to me again.
 * Rounders (1998)


 * Ronit Krushka: So, all he did all day, was stay in here and read the Torah, and the commentaries on the Torah, and the notes on the commentaries, and the debates on the notes.
 * Disobedience (2017)

Miscellaneous

 * Once upon a time, under pressure of censorship, printers would inscribe in the flyleaves of volumes of the Talmud: "Whatever may be written herein about gentiles does not refer to the gentiles of today, but to gentiles of times past." Today, the flyleaves of our books bear a similar inscription, albeit an invisible one: "Whatever may be written herein about Jews does not refer to the Jews of today, but to Jews who lived in other times." So we are able to sit down and study Torah, Talmud, books of ethics, or books of faith without considering their relevance to our lives. Whatever is written there does not apply to us or to our generation, but only to other people, other times. We must expunge from those invisible prologues the notion that the words are written about someone else, about others, about anyone but us. Whether the book is a volume of Torah, a tractate of the Talmud, or a tract of faith, the opposite must be inscribed: "Whatever is written herein refers only to me; is written for me and obligates me. First and foremost, the content is addressed to me."
 * From a public address by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, as quoted in Talks on Parashat Ha-Shavua (חיי עולם), Maggid Books, 2011. Also quoted in the preface of each volume of the Koren Talmud Bavli.


 * Without the Talmud, we would not be able to understand passages in the Bible. … God has handed this authority to the sages and tradition is a necessity as well as scripture. … Anyone who does not study the Talmud cannot understand Scripture.
 * Yechiel of Paris, in Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism: Surprising Differences, Conflicting Visions, and Worldview Implications &mdash; From the Early Church to Our Modern Time by Jonas E. Alexis, vol. I, p. 266


 * Jews don't read the Bible literally. We read it through the lens of generations of interpretations and acknowledge the evolution of human understanding of God. The Talmudic image of God is vastly different from the image of God presented in the Bible.
 * Rabbi Laura Geller: "Acts of God? A Jewish Perspective on Natural Disasters". The Huffington Post, 2011.


 * In the Jewish Quarter [Judengasse] was I born and educated; until my fifteenth year, they tried to beat the Talmud into me. My teachers were inhuman beings [Unmenschen], my colleagues were bad company, inducing me to secret sin; my body was frail, my spirit raw.
 * Moses Hess' Diary, September 16, 1836


 * I was supposed to devote myself only to the Talmud. But the Talmud utterly repelled me, thought I was still a pious Jew-boy [Judenkind]. I wanted to satisfy my craving to be active, to do something: this craving looked for a sphere for itself because none was offered it. I did not want to be a good-for-nothing - and therefore I became a writer.
 * Hess' Diary


 * The Talmud states, it was proved to Elisha that Metatron could not be a second deity by the fact that Metatron received 60 "strokes with fiery rods" to demonstrate that Metatron was not a god, but an angel, and could be punished.
 * Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies, Society for Jewish Study (1983). The Journal of Jewish Studies, Volumes 34-35. The Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies. p. 26. Retrieved 5 March 2014.


 * Just as Hillel's actions were not based (even in theory) on any reasoned ethical system, so his moral teaching did not take the form of a systematic treatise, but was expressed in aphorisms, which were, no doubt, occasioned by particular circumstances, but have none the less a universal value. This value, indeed, is not for the doubter, who must needs either find a rational basis for morality, or discard it. They appeal to those who accept, as Hillel accepted, the fundamental postulates of Judaism; and their claim to universality rests, therefore, on the extent to which those postulates are in accord with the root facts of human nature. They are interpretative, not speculative. The moral sayings of Hillel recorded in the Talmud are few in number, but they embody with sufficient fulness the point of view which was expressed no less fully in his conduct. They are contained almost exclusively in the first two chapters of the "Ethics of the Fathers."
 * Leon Simon, "Hillel," The Jewish Literary Annual (1908


 * Our rabbinic texts, all in the Bavli, emphasize that Jesus, the new Balaam, does not have a portion in the world to come: his fate is that he must be punished in hell forever, with no chance of redemption—and the same is true for his followers: they better give up any hope of earning eternal life in his succession, as his apostles promise.
 * Peter Schäfer: Jesus in the Talmud, p. 111. Princeton University Press, 2007.


 * A hundred thousand men labored for twenty years to build the great pyramid: one man wrote the book of Isaiah. You will answer: "One man also wrote Hamlet and the Critique of Pure Reason and the Republic." But I ask: Are Plato and Shakespeare and Kant in your life what the Bible, the Talmud, the rabbis are in ours? To our very masses, the Jewish masses, the wonders of the world are Moses, Elijah, the Rambam, the Vilna Gaon, the Dubna Maggid, the chassid in the neighboring village. These actually dominate our life, as governments, mass radio exploits, armies and Woolworths dominate yours. We are the people of the Book. But we were the people of the Book before a million copies could be printed in a single day.
 * Maurice Samuel: You Gentiles, pp. 113–114


 * A person who understands the law but who is far from the love of God is like a bank official who has the keys for the inside of the building but not the key for the front door.
 * Leo Tolstoy's paraphrase of The Talmud, A Calendar of Wisdom, P. Sekirin, trans. (1997), June 15


 * The commandments of God should be followed because of love of God, not because of fear of God.
 * Leo Tolstoy's paraphrase of The Talmud, A Calendar of Wisdom, P. Sekirin, trans. (1997), June 15


 * We have quoted and have usually explained texts from talmudic literature. Such texts have been and still are often used in Israeli politics and often quoted in the Israeli Hebrew press. We have concluded that in the usual English translations of talmudic literature some of the most sensitive passages are usually toned down or falsified – as a result, we have ourselves translated all of the texts from talmudic literature that we have quoted in the book.
 * Israel Shahak and Norton Mezvinsky: Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel, Pluto Press (1999), p. 1. ISBN: 0-7453-2091-0.


 * Quoting the Talmud is almost always more trouble than it's worth. The Talmud is long, complex, and explicitly contradictory, and an honest citation requires a significant amount of context to establish whether the opinion cited is meaningful or relevant to modern Judaism. Legitimate critics of Judaism will typically be able to find citations in a more straightforward source, such as one of the Jewish law codes, Rabbinical responsa, or modern Jewish publications. Critics who rely solely on the Talmud for critical citations often explain their lack of other sources by accusing Judaism of hiding secret, shocking beliefs, whereas in fact Talmudic opinions that are not cited in later literature simply aren't important to later Jewish tradition – just like obscure laws can be discarded if they are never cited in relevant common law sources.
 * RationalWiki: Talmud
 * The full RationalWiki article expounds on this point, but acknowledges that the argument may seem evasive or dismissive to someone who regards it as an instance of the "Courtier's reply" fallacy, which is a kind of appeal to authority.


 * Maimonides, the great Jewish theologian and historian, who at one time was almost deified by his countrymen and afterward treated as a heretic, remarks that the more absurd and void of sense the Talmud seems, the more sublime is the secret meaning. This learned man has successfully demonstrated that the Chaldean Magic, the science of Moses and other learned thaumaturgists was wholly based on an extensive knowledge of the various and now forgotten branches of natural science. Thoroughly acquainted with all the resources of the vegetable, animal, and mineral kingdoms, experts in occult chemistry and physics, psychologists as well as physiologists, why wonder that the graduates or adepts instructed in the mysterious sanctuaries of the temples, could perform wonders, which even in our days of enlightenment would appear supernatural? It is an insult to human nature to brand magic and the occult science with the name of imposture. To believe that for so many thousands of years, one-half of mankind practiced deception and fraud on the other half, is equivalent to saying that the human race was composed only of knaves and incurable idiots. Where is the country in which magic was not practised? At what age was it wholly forgotten?
 * H. P. Blavatsky in Isis Unveiled: A Master-Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology (1877), p. 19