Moed Katan / Haguiga - The Talmud Steinsaltz T13 (color), Biblieurope editions

The Steinsaltz Talmud T13

Moed Katan / Haguiga

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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Moed Katan

The first part of our treatise sets forth the laws relating to the intermediate holidays (Chol ha-Moed) – designated by the word Moed in the Mishnah (see, for example, Avot 3:11) – and was originally called simply Moed, then Moed Katan to distinguish it from the second Talmudic collection (Seder Moed) relating to the holidays. The second part is devoted to the rules of mourning.

This link between days of joy and sorrow may seem strange at first glance, but it turns out that, in both cases, the same types of work are forbidden according to an oral tradition dating back to the time of Moses. Even though there are allusions to it in Scripture, it is unanimously agreed that the details of these laws were established by the Sages, who took certain pragmatic aspects into account. Thus, on Shabbat and Yom Kippur, the Torah categorically forbids all creative work. On holidays, only work not related to food preparation is forbidden. On Chol HaMoed, the prohibition applies only to strenuous or professional work that is not urgent for an individual or the community, the Sages primarily wanting to prevent Chol HaMoed from becoming a working day.

The same applies to prohibited activities during the first week of mourning: to have time to express their feelings, heal their emotional wounds, and regain their equilibrium, those who have lost a close relative must temporarily suspend their daily routine and professional activities. From the time of death until the funeral, they are also exempt from all positive commandments in order to devote themselves entirely to the final honors due to the deceased. After the funeral, they are subject to various mourning rites—including tearing their clothes, sitting on the ground (or on a low seat)—and restrictions related to their outward appearance and grooming, such as the prohibition against shaving and wearing freshly laundered clothes.

Haguiga

Focused on the obligation to appear at the Temple during the three pilgrimage festivals, the treatise 'Haguiga deals with two main subjects: the offerings imposed on pilgrims and the rules of ritual purity linked to the festivals.

The general commandment requiring every man to come on pilgrimage for the festivals (see Ex. 23:17) is compounded by the prohibition against appearing at the Temple empty-handed (ibid. 23:15), which, according to other biblical passages (see, for example, Deut. chap. 12), implies the obligation to bring individual offerings in honor of the festival, in addition to those of the community (explained in Leviticus chap. 23 and Numbers chaps. 28 and 29). The biblical text does not explicitly state what these offerings are, but it is known from oral tradition that each pilgrim must bring a burnt offering upon his first "appearance" ('olat reiya) before the Temple, the peace offering of the 'hagigah, and a variable number of other peace offerings to contribute to the festival's festivities, through the consumption of the flesh of these holy people (chalmei). (sim'ha). In this regard, several questions arise: what is the minimum price to pay for these different offerings? Furthermore, knowing that the first day of each Hajj festival period is a complete holiday, is it permissible to offer individual offerings on those days, or only later, during the intermediate days of the festival?

Similar to the laws concerning these offerings, which are not explicitly detailed in the Torah, considerable space is devoted here to other topics briefly mentioned in Scripture and elaborated upon in the Oral Torah. Incidentally, this leads to an examination of which passages should not be taught publicly due to the risk of error, such as the account of the creation of the world in Genesis or the vision of the divine chariot in the Book of Ezekiel. The limitations imposed on investigations into the "heavenly court" naturally fall within the framework of the obligations incumbent upon the pilgrim presenting himself before God.

Biblieurope Editions