Medieval Talmud with gold.
The importance of Judaism's sacred texts extends far beyond their religious significance. These ancient documents embody not only Judaism's religious precepts, but also the historical, cultural and social heritage of the Jewish people. In Israel, where attitudes towards tradition range from the ultra-orthodox to the secular, sacred texts carry a variety of meanings - from a spiritual, moral and practical guide to everyday life, to a historical and cultural wealth which is critically examined and studied. The stories, ideas and philosophies of the sacred texts, encompassing millenia of Jewish study and thought, are evident in much of Israel's modern culture, which draws on the legacies of the past even as it gives voice to the issues and concerns of the present.
At the basis of all Jewish sacred texts is the Torah. In its most basic sense, the Torah is the Pentateuch - the five books of Moses, which tell the story of the Creation of the world, God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants, the Exodus from Egypt, the revelation at Mt. Sinai (where God enunciated Ten Commandments), the wanderings of the Israelites in the desert, and a recapitulation of that experience shortly before the entrance to the Promised Land.
The principal message of the Torah is the absolute unity of God, His creation of the world and His concern for it, and His everlasting covenant with the people of Israel. The Pentateuch both embodies the heritage of the Jewish people - retelling its history, setting forth its guiding precepts and foretelling its destiny - and carries universal messages of monotheism and social conduct, which have had tremendous impact on western civilization. Thus, the Torah is also the origin of certain non-Jewish traditions, among them the recognition of the Sabbath as a day of rest. Torah also signifies teaching. The Pentateuch itself uses the word Torah to denote a specific body of statutes; in this sense, Torah means "law," and is often so translated generally. While Jewish tradition has throughout the centuries ascribed divine authorship to the Torah, many scholars and modern Jewish thinkers hold that the Torah was compiled incrementally by various authors over a long period of time, making it not only the shaper of Jewish history but also its product.
The Jewish Bible is known in Hebrew as the Tanakh, an acronym of the three sets of books which comprise it: the Pentateuch (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the Writings (Ketuvim). The latter two include nineteen compilations, largely in Hebrew but with certain books of the Ketuvim also containing extensive portions in Aramaic, which were composed over a period of centuries - from shortly before the Israelite conquest of the Land of Israel (13th century BCE) to shortly after the return to Judah and Jerusalem from the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE).
The books of the Prophets contain historical writings covering the period between the settlement of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and their exile to Babylon, as well as the moral and religious exhortations of the Prophets (among them Jeremiah, Isaiah and Ezekiel). The Writings, also known as the Hagiographa, are a mixture of liturgical and secular poetry, wisdom literature and historical writings.
Tanakh is the Jewish canon, which assumed its final shape between Babylonian exile and 1st Century CE. The sages who took part in the finalization of the canon excluded certain texts, known as Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, which they did not consider divinely inspired. Jewish canon is distinguished from Christian canon in non-inclusion of New Testament and a slightly different order of presentation of the Prophets. Diacritical marks (for vocalization, pronunciation and cantillation) were finalized by 10th Century CE.
Jewish mysticism is preoccupied with esoteric matters extending beyond the legally-oriented literature. The "generic" collective name of this branch of sacred texts, kabbala (from the Hebrew lekabel, to receive, signifying knowledge handed down by tradition) represents the esoteric teachings of Judaism, especially those that emerged in the twelfth century and thereafter. In its wider sense, kabbala denotes Jewish mysticism in its entirety. Kabbalistic writings created a Jewish "mystical theology" that has its own sub-genres and terminology. They seek God in all things, probe His mysteries and explore relations between divine and human life. Important kabbalistic themes include angelology and demonology, the traits and secret names of God and eschatology (the study of the End of Days). The main work in kabbala is the Zohar ("Splendor"), a body of literature including exegetical statements, homilies, and eclectic discussions that parallel the weekly Torah portions and the first part of the Song of Songs. While Kabbalistic tradition traces the Zohar to the Mishnaic sage Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai and his associates, modern literary scholarship places its authorship in the thirteenth century, when it became known, and credits its authorship to Moses ben Shem Tov de Leon in Guadalajara, northeast of Madrid. Several generations after the Zohar came to be known, it sparked a renewal in the development of kabbala in Spain, including a profusion of commentaries. The expulsion of Jews from Spain (1492) infused kabbala with messianic and apocalyptic trends and expanded its sphere of influence to Italy, Northern Africa, Turkey, and the Land of Israel. From there, it spread to Poland and Lithuania, where it also influenced the Hassidic (Pietist) movement, which is sometimes described as "applied kabbala." Mainstream Ashkenazi rabbinical authorities do not encourage widespread study of mystical literature, especially by the young, possibly as a result of Talmudic comments about the power and danger of kabbalistic thinking. Today, kabbala is also the subject of academic and modern study, due mostly the work of world-renowned scholar Professor Gershom Sholem. Torah (Pentateuch) is divided into fifty-four "portions," which are read at the synagogue every Sabbath in an annual cycle, beginning and ending shortly after the Jewish New Year. Excerpts from the Prophets and other biblical writings are read on the Sabbath and festivals. The readers of these texts use the cantillation marks set forth a millennium ago in melodic patterns that vary among different communities. Study of the Talmud is most intensive in yeshivot (religious academies), but also occurs in synagogues and individuals' homes - where this activity is also a social event - and in universities. Most major universities in Israel today have a department of Talmudic or Rabbinic literature. In accordance with a 20th Century innovation, thousands of laypersons study a page of Talmud each day, following a coordinated schedule, thus covering the entire work in approximately seven years. Most synagogues maintain well-stocked libraries of sacred texts and collections of religious books.
Sacred texts can be found on the bookshelves of many Jewish homes.?Tanakh?(Torah, Prophets and Writings), often accompanied by commentary, can be found even in most secular homes (many Israelis receive a Tanakh as a gift on occasions such as finishing school or completing basic training in the army). In observant homes (and many non-observant ones as well), the basic literature is often accompanied by an extensive library, including Biblical books with additional commentaries, Mishna?(with basic commentaries), Talmud (voluminous commentaries included),?Shulhan Arukh, and later codes and manuals on religious practice. Alongside these are works in related disciplines of religious scholarship - philosophy, ethics and current events, to name only three and specialized literature corresponding to the family's affiliations (Hassidic, Sephardi, Ashkenazi). Rabbis own and consult vast collections of Talmudic commentaries, responsa and legal codes.? Prayerbooks are standard in homes of almost all Jews. The siddur used in daily and Sabbath worship, reflects more than a millennium of development, before which prayers were treated as part of an oral tradition and recited by heart. Although the commission of prayers to writing began at the end of Talmudic era, first true siddur, Seder Rav Amram Gaon, compiled at request of Spanish Jewry, dates from 9th Century. First used only on Yom Kippur and other fasts, siddur?has gained such acceptance that current rabbinical thinking strongly discourages memorization. Some?siddurim?also contain festival services, halakhic guidelines for worship and commentaries on the liturgy. The liturgical rite is presented in several versions, differentiated by communities (Ashkenazi, hassidic, Sephardi, Yemenite). Some siddurim?have a service for Israel's Independence Day, introduced by Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Additional articles of sacred literature found in many homes include?Haggada?(Passover story) and Sabbath hymnal (often coupled with Grace after Meals). Because they are sanctified by their content, these writings, when rendered unusable, are placed in a geniza (storage facility or archive) and then given a ritual burial. Emergence of a Hebrew-speaking community in Israel, millions strong, made Jewish sacred texts more accessible and has given rise to a profusion of new works in modern vernacular. Cardinal among them are Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz's commentary on Talmud (Babylonian and Jerusalem) and Rabbi Pinhas Kehati's commentary on Mishna. Jewish statehood, existence of a Jewish army, relations with non-Jews, international trade, and modern agriculture and food handling are only a few of issues covered in thick rabbinical treatises, books, periodicals and pamphlets. Jewish texts have also played a pivotal role in the revival of Hebrew culture in Israel. Bible studies are now included in the curricula of all schoolchildren, secular and observant (with educational approach and areas of emphasis formulated accordingly), while universities pursue the study of these texts in a variety of interdisciplinary approaches. The influence of Jewish sacred texts is also evident in modern Israeli art and literature, which give ancient stories, concepts and imagery a new shape and voice. Two notable literary examples are Israel's national poet, H. N. Bialik, and Nobel Laureate S.Y. Agnon, both of whom drew extensively on Rabbinic sources in their internationally-acclaimed works. Computer revolution has not left sacred literature unaffected. A responsa database has been in existence for nearly a generation at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan. More recently, private entrepreneurs have created "Torah software" and products such as Hebrew Bible and Talmud online. Profuse religious commentary, ranging from weekly Torah portion to advice in observing dietary laws, has become available on the Internet. In Israel today, study of Jewish sacred texts and their adaption to modern life continues with unprecedented vigor.
?? : a viral video and Images & Pictures claimed that this book is an early medieval Talmud with gold. (Unfortunately, neither the source or the reference found related with this video claim)