The Wisdom of the Talmud

The Wisdom of the Talmud is a book by rabbi Ben Zion Bokser, first published in 1951. It is a highly readable introduction to the Talmud, a central text in Judaism that is a compendium of Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, and lore, and which is composed of the Mishnah (a text of Jewish oral law) and the Gemara (a record of the discussions and debates of the rabbis on the Mishnah).

Bokser covers the long history of the Talmud, from its origin in the Babylonian exile, its growth through the five centuries after the Roman destruction of the Temple, and the later persecution of the Talmud. The book covers a number of high-level topics, including social ethics and personal morality, with numerous examples from the Talmud.