The rabbis’ great compendium of law and lore, its discussions compiled c. AD 200–500 (centuries after Jesus). These are curated aggadah, its stories and ethics, in the public-domain En Jacob translation, each set beside the Gospel scene it lights up. Read them as the rabbis’ own tradition, attributed to the sages it names, a witness to the Jewish world around the Gospels, never endorsed.
5 curated readings · English public domain (En Jacob)
Shabbat 31a
Hillel's golden rule: the whole Torah while standing on one leg
Asked to teach the whole Torah while standing on one leg, Hillel gave the golden rule, 'what is hateful to thee, do not do unto thy neighbor', and called the rest commentary: the Jewish form of the rule Jesus gives in the Sermon on the Mount.
“On another occasion it happened that a heathen appeared before Shammai and said: "Convert me to Judaism, but on condition that thou teachest me the whole Torah while I am standing upon one leg." Shammai drove him off with the builder's cubit which he held in his hand. Then the heathen appeared before Hillel, and he made him a proselyte, and said unto him: "That which is hateful to thee do not do unto thy neighbor; this is the whole Torah, and the rest is merely its commentary."”
The rabbis taught that a single human life is of infinite worth, to destroy or to save one soul is to destroy or save a whole world, and that each person, stamped from the one Adam, is unrepeatable.
“Therefore the man was created singly, to teach that he who destroys one soul of a human being is considered by Scripture as if he had destroyed the whole world, and he who saves one soul of Israel, Scripture considers it as if he had saved the whole world. And also to proclaim the glory of the Holy One, praised be He! For a human being stamps many coins with one stamp, and all of them are alike; but the King of all the kings, the Holy One, praised be He! has stamped every man with the stamp of Adam the first, and nevertheless not one of them is like the other. Therefore every man may say: "The world was created for my sake."”
The resurrection of the dead, proven from the Torah
The rabbis insisted the resurrection of the dead is taught in the Torah itself, reading the future in its verbs, the very kind of argument Jesus makes to the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection.
“This is an answer to those who say that there is no intimation in the Torah about the resurrection of the dead. There is a Baraitha: R. Meir says: "Whence do we learn of the resurrection in the Torah? It is written (Ex. 15, 1), 'Then Moses and the children of Israel will sing this song.' It does not read sang, but will sing. This is an intimation of the resurrection in the Torah."”
The Messiah: on the clouds of heaven, or lowly on an ass
The rabbis held the Messiah would come 'with the clouds of heaven' if Israel were worthy, or 'lowly, riding on an ass' if not, and pictured him waiting among the suffering poor at the gate of Rome, ready to come without delay.
“[Concerning the coming of the Messiah, two Scriptures are set together:] it is written (Dan. 7, 13) "like a son of man, [coming] with the clouds of heaven," and it is also written (Zech. 9, 9) "Lowly, and riding upon an ass" -- i.e., if they will be worthy, he will come with the clouds of heaven; and if not, he will come lowly, riding upon an ass. R. Joshua b. Levi questioned [Elijah]: "When will the Messiah appear?" And he answered: "Go and ask Messiah himself." "But where is he to be found?" "At the gate of Rome." "And what is the sign [to recognize him]?" "He goes among poor people afflicted with wounds. All the afflicted poor open the bandages of all their wounds at once, and then dress them again; but he opens one bandage, dresses it, and then goes on to the next one -- for he thinks: should I be called, there must be no delay."”
Where the penitent stand, the perfectly righteous cannot
R. Abbahu taught that in the place where the penitent stand, the perfectly righteous cannot stand, the returning sinner honored above the never-fallen, close to Jesus' word that heaven rejoices more over one sinner who repents.
“R. Abbahu said: "Where the repentant sinners stand, the perfectly righteous are not permitted to stand, for it is said (Is. 57, 19), 'Peace, peace unto him that is afar off, and to him that is near' -- first to him who is afar off (the repentant), and then to him who is near (the righteous from the very beginning)."”
Source. Rabbi S.H. Glick's En Jacob (1916-1921), Public Domain. A curated selection of aggadah (the Talmud’s stories and ethics).
Framed neutrally and attributed to the sages it names (BB-35), a witness to early Jewish tradition, not a first-century eyewitness. We show an established public-domain translation and never machine-translate a primary text (BB-42).
The Talmud: rabbinic wisdom beside the Gospels · Bubble Bible