Of Bibliographic References to Talmudic Literature

H-Judaic Internet Resource: Index of Bibliographic References to Talmudic Literature

Discussion published by Moshe Feifer on Thursday, March 19, 2015

THE SAUL LIEBERMAN INSTITUTE OF TALMUDIC RESEARCH

THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

The Index of Bibliographic References to Talmudic Literature

We are pleased to announce that the Lieberman Institute'sIndex of References Dealing with Talmudic Literature is available at http://lieberman-index.org.

Introduction

What is the Index?

The Index is a comprehensive online research tool directing the user to discussions and interpretations of Talmudic passages found in both modern academic research and medieval Talmudic scholarship (Geonim and Rishonim). By clicking any Talmudic passage, the user will receive a list of specific books and page numbers within them discussing the selected passage.

The Index is revolutionizing Talmudic research by supplying scholars with quick and easy access to pertinent information. Preceding the establishment of the index project, the task of finding specific bibliographical references that today takes minutes would take many hours or even days of work. The Index radically alters old methods of bibliographical searching and brings Talmudic research up to par with contemporary standards. In addition to those involved in Talmudic studies per se, the index is a vital aid to those engaged in all Judaic, ancient near east, or comparative religion studies to the extent that they relate at times to Talmudic texts.

Thus, the database already makes an extremely significant contribution to all associated fields of research and study by enabling scholars, students or lay audience to quickly and comprehensively access relevant scholarship.

Description

Citation: Moshe Feifer. Internet Resource: Index of Bibliographic References to Talmudic Literature. H-Judaic. 03-19-2015. https://networks.h-net.org/node/28655/discussions/64867/internet-resource-index-bibliographic-references-talmudic Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1 H-Judaic

The Lieberman Index is based upon the major canonical corpora of Talmudic literature: Mishna, Tosefta, Talmud Yerushalmi (Palestinian Talmud) and Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud), with Midrashim currently under preparation. It refers the user to specific pages and footnote numbers in more than 1200 works from the Geonic period up to modern times, covering the latest critical scholarship as well as traditional works.

The database provides full bibliographical information (i.e. author, title, page number) accessed according to the specific location in the selected Talmudic text addressed - Mishna and Tosefta by chapter and paragraph, Babylonian Talmud by folio number and side (= daf and amud), Yerushalmi by its divisions, etc..

In addition to the classics of modern Talmud scholarship, the database indexes various other disciplines dealing with Talmudic passages. Examples include classics such as Lieberman'sTosefta ki-feshuta and J.N. Epstein's Mavo le-nusaħ ha-Mishna (Introduction to the Mishnaic Text); studies in related disciplines such as: Biblical and Talmudic Medicine, The Laws of Qumran, Jewish Values in Psychotherapy, Jewish Women and Divorce; and the latest scholarship including recent works such as: Brody’s Mishnah and Tosefta Studies (2014),Halivni’s The Formation of the Babylonian Talmud (2013), Heger's Women in the Bible, Qumran, and Early Rabbinic Literature (2014), Vidas's Tradition and the Formation of the Talmud (2014), and Secunda’s The Iranian Talmud: Reading the Bavli in its Sasanian Context (2014).

Some of the indexed titles are viewable online via websites such as Hebrew Books (www.hebrewbooks.com); The Lieberman Index provides a link to the online book, streamlining the research process and thus expanding accessibility to the foundational building blocks of Talmudic study.

The Index is an ongoing project, with new works added on a regular basis. Registered users themselves will be able to add entries to the Index as well, gaining valuable exposure for their own scholarly works and those of their colleagues.

For over two decades, many scholars hailing from various disciplines have regularly used this revolutionary tool, thus enriching their study or research. Now your institution is invited to join others, including Bar Ilan University, UC Berkeley, University of Chicago, Georgetown University, Harvard, Hebrew University, Northwestern, RRC, Tel Aviv University, University of Vienna Library & Archives, Yale, Yeshiva University and many more in subscribing to the new website, thus optimizing

For further information and subscription application, please contact one of the following

Atara Ofan: [email protected]

Shamma Friedman: [email protected].

Moshe Feifer: [email protected]

Please forward this email to your university's digital tools acquisition department, with your recommendation.

The Saul Lieberman Institute of Talmudic Research, directed by Professor Shamma Friedman, was founded by him in 1985 and is dedicated to the memory of Seminary Professor Saul Lieberman, master of Talmudic Studies in modern times.