Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I think this was good? It was a little too heavy and academic in its writing for me but overall I enjoyed the arguments made here by the author. It is just not for the casual reader, but better suited for those who have read a good deal on Judaism or Talmudic studies

I picked this book up because I had little knowledge of the Jewish religion and felt maybe this would help me increase my knowledge. I read it slowly to try to absorb some of the stories and history.

Description:
A witty and wide-ranging exploration of a book that has perplexed and delighted people for the Talmud. For numerous centuries, the Talmud―an extraordinary work of Jewish ethics, law, and tradition―has compelled readers to grapple with how to live a good life. Full of folk legends, bawdy tales, and rabbinical repartee, it is inspiring, demanding, confounding, and thousands of pages long. As Liel Leibovitz enthusiastically explores the Talmud, what has sometimes been misunderstood as a dusty and arcane volume becomes humanity’s first self-help book. How the Talmud Can Change Your Life contains sage advice on an unparalleled scope of topics, which includes communicating with your partner, dealing with grief, and being a friend. Leibovitz guides readers through the sprawling text with all its humor, rich insights, compulsively readable stories, and multilayered conversations. Contemporary discussions framed by Talmudic philosophy and psychology draw on subjects ranging from Weight Watchers and the Dewey decimal system to the lives of Billie Holiday and C. S. Lewis. Chapters focus on fundamental human experiences―the mind-body problem, the power of community, the challenges of love―to illuminate how the Talmud speaks to our daily existence. As Leibovitz explores some of life’s greatest questions, he also delivers a concise history of the Talmud itself, explaining the process of its lengthy compilation and organization. With infectious passion and candor, Leibovitz brilliantly displays how the Talmud’s wisdom reverberates for the modern age and how it can, indeed, change your life.

My Thoughts:
This book just showed me how much understanding I lack. It was not a beginner book, but I'm sure others with more understanding will enjoy it more. I liked the stories of some of the scholars and their experiences. The chapters were rather long and sometimes I lost focus on what the author was trying to convey, but once again I think this is my inexperience and lack of understanding. I did learn some things and enjoyed the history.

Thanks to W. W. Norton & Company through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on October 10, 2023.

There are many worthy quotes I highlighted and plan to recite or revisit later. Such as, “If something is truly sacred, as the Talmud tells us, you should feel it in your limbs just as tightly as you do in your heart.” There is room for improvement in the names and organization of chapter. The chapters are way too long, the titles don’t always make sense, and the secondary chapter title is unnecessary. For example, Chapter Two is titled “how to get along with others” but it’s about…loss, destruction, and grief. By the end, I was asking myself, “what is the purpose of this chapter, again?” I wish instead of an alternative chapter name there was a line at the end that said, “if you remember only one thing from this chapter, it’s _____.”

I would like to suggest an alternate book title, “How the Talmud Changed Your Life” because I believe the real moral of the story is the Talmud is everywhere. Even in places you don’t expect it, like psychology books.

Chapter 5, Everything in Order is the best chapter. It has the most important meaning, the vignette at the beginning is not just interesting but closely tied to the purpose of the chapter, and it’s just so “readable”, for lack of a better term.

Minor correction: Prince Caspian is the second book written in the Narnia series, but it’s not the actual second book in the series. It’s the third book.

This is not a beginner’s Judaism book. I would recommend being at least faintly familiar with the scholars or sages before reading this book. Overall, I think readers will benefit more from the audiobook because of the conversational tone. Please I hope Liel narrates it. Inexperienced Talmud students beware, but read it anyway.

The introduction to this new book is one of the best introductions to Talmud I have read in a long time. His illustrations in the succeeding chapters use historical examples to illustrate the realities of the lives of the Talmudic scholars and make the themes and debates relevant for our time. I’d place this right next to admin Steinslatz’s masterpiece, The Essential Talmud.