Practical Talmud Dictionary

But all is not perfect...Not every word in the Talmud is translated however, this is a minor point, of which the author is well aware, and does not diminish this work at all. It derives from Melamed's Aramaic-Hebrew Dictionary and Jastrow, as well as a comprehensive Talmudic Concordance.

If students and scholars are serious about the Talmud then this companion is certainly a must-buy. Be sure to also get "Grammar for Gemara" by the same author - the second edition aids as much as the Dictionary does, and includes a brief section on Mishnaic Hebrew, and is interspersed with examples from the Aramaic Targums as well as the Aramaic of the Talmud haBavli.

If you're studying the Talmud, get both these books, they clarify meaning far more than Jastrow's Dictionary of the Talmud, Targums and Midrashim (which is a literal dictionary of all words).


I require all my students to buy it   July 19, 2000
Willis Johnson (Seattle, WA USA)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

This is a dictionary of the key terms that mark the structure of the talmudic argument. It does not cover every word in the talmud (for that, consult Marcus Jastrow's dictionary); but it does define the structurally important words that define the shape of the talmudic argument. The definitions cover everything a beginner needs: the literal meaning of the Aramaic, the Hebrew equivalent of the Aramaic, the structural meaning of the word or phrase, at least one example printed in Hebrew with an English translation. In the many cases where a phrase or sequence of phrases has a special meaning, these larger rhetorical units are discussed under separate entries.

There is a useful dictionary of common talmudic abbreviations at the end of the volume.

I have required all of my students at the University of Chicago and Hebrew Union College to buy this book. It's great. Buy it. You'll love it!