Makot / Shevu'ot - The Steinsaltz Talmud T31 (color), Biblieurope editions

The Steinsaltz Talmud T31

Makot / Chevou'ot

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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Makot / Chevou'ot

A supplement to the tractate Sanhedrin, which focused on serious transgressions punishable by death, Makot ("the blows") addresses the three other sanctions prescribed by the Torah: fines, banishment to a city of refuge, and flogging. Imprisonment does not exist under Jewish law, but sometimes the accused was incarcerated to prevent any attempt to flee before justice was served (see Leviticus 24:12 and Numbers 15:34).

The final part of criminal law, this treatise is devoted to three main subjects, mentioned incidentally in other Talmudic passages: witnesses convicted of conspiracy, banishment and the punishment of whipping.

According to the biblical text (Deut. 19:16–21), witnesses convicted of conspiracy incur the same punishment they intended to inflict upon the victim of their false testimony. According to the Mishnah, this rule applies only when other witnesses come to the court and ask the first group, “How can you testify about a crime committed at such and such a time and place, when you were with us somewhere else at that very moment?” Given the sovereign authority generally attributed by the Torah to two witnesses, the fact that the second group is given credence here appears as “an innovation” (see Sanhedrin 27a), a special case subject to very specific rules. For this reason, every term used by Scripture concerning them is carefully examined in order to fulfill the law to the letter. In cases where it is impossible, for technical or legal reasons, to apply to witnesses convicted of conspiracy the punishment they would have caused their victim, it is necessary to know how to punish them for their false testimony.

Biblieurope Editions