Baba Metsia 1 - The Talmud Steinsaltz T25 (color), Biblieurope editions

The Steinsaltz Talmud T25

Baba Metsia I

Translated paragraph by paragraph
Commentary by Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

Drahi Edition - Color

Biblieurope Editions

The new edition of the Steinsaltz Talmud in French aims, like the previous one, to give everyone, regardless of their level, access to the Talmudic text – originally written without punctuation or vowels, in a concise style, in a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic, a language little known to most readers.

In the second half of the ^20th century, Rabbi Steinsaltz, of blessed memory, pioneered the work of publishing a punctuated and vocalized edition in Hebrew, and later in other languages. This edition presents the correspondence of each word of the Talmud in bold, with explanations added in regular type, essential for understanding each sentence and following the Gemara step by step.

In this edition, the text of the Talmud is divided into paragraphs, translated as they appear. It includes numerous studies and halakha taken from the Steinsaltz edition in Hebrew, summarizing the main commentaries and the conclusions of the decisors on each topic addressed. It is enriched new illustrations.

At the end of each book, it includes the original text of the treatise according to the classical Vilna edition, with the commentary of Rashi – which, here, is punctuated and vocalized – and that of the Tosafot, also punctuated.

We hope that this publication will achieve the goal that Rav Steinsaltz zal sought throughout his life: to enable every Jew to know and appreciate his ancestral heritage in order to strengthen the love of the Torah among the people.

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Baba Metsia I

Baba Metsi'a (literally: "the Middle Gate") is the second part of an ancient and long triptych, the treatise on Damages, which sets forth the Talmudic rules of Civil Law.

Baba Metzia , like the other two "gates," is structured around a central theme: business relationships, defined, delimited, and shaped by biblical law. This theme is itself interspersed, following the usual dynamic of Talmudic discussion, with digressions of all kinds. The treatise does not address all commercial relationships and rules of acquisition. It focuses on transactions subject to the laws of the Torah and thus lies at the intersection of financial and ritual legislation. It contains rules concerning found objects and the different categories of guardians; the obligation to assist in loading and unloading an animal; the prohibition against causing harm through dishonest speech or actions, delaying payment of an employee's wages, and withholding essential goods; the prohibition against lending at interest; and the permission granted to farm laborers to consume the fruit they harvest.

In a certain sense, Baba Metzia highlights one of the distinctive aspects of the entire Torah. Civil law and negotiations between merchants are not based on the free choice of the parties or on arbitrary social conventions that satisfy the majority. The Torah does not establish a fundamental distinction between duties toward the Eternal and obligations toward one's neighbor, because human relationships are intimately connected to our relationship with God. The two realms are intertwined—see, for example, the sections Mishpatim ( Exodus , chapters 21–23), Kedoshim ( Leviticus , chapter 19), and Ki Tetze ( Deuteronomy , chapters 21–25). Sacrificial rites have implications for financial matters; moral rules alternate with purity laws. Certainly, commercial and social relations are governed by major moral principles (the prohibition against stealing and causing harm). However, many regulations concerning financial matters appear arbitrary ( chukim ) and establish rules of conduct not dictated by the need to maintain public order, but rather rooted in the foundations of religious life. Thus, charity is not a duty performed out of pure kindness; it is an integral part of civil law established by the Torah. The Law itself requires action that goes beyond strict justice.

The rules of our treaty operate on four levels:

Universal laws, relating to the transfer of property (with a marked difference between rules of biblical origin and rabbinic ordinances).

Biblieurope Editions