This product guide introduces Logos Bible Software products related to Judaism or the Jewish interpretation of Scripture. General information on texts, grammars, lexicons and other tools for the study of the Hebrew Bible can be found in the Product Guide for Hebrew Texts and Tools. Those interested in the early history and development of Jewish thought might also be interested in the Product Guide for the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Pseudepigrapha, and Hellenistic Jewish writers, such as Josephus and Philo.

Targums

The Targums are Aramaic translations, sometimes with interpretive comments, of the Hebrew Bible. Two Targums in particular gained a significant amount of authority: Targum Onqelos (covering the Torah) and Targum Jonathan (covering the Nevi'im, or Prophets). Other Targums covering the Kethuvi'im, or Writings, (except for Daniel and Ezra, parts of which were already in Aramaic) have been written down, along with some competing Targums for the Torah.

• The Targums from the files of the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project. Contains all of the Targum texts with a glossary, lexical analysis, and basic morphological analysis.
• Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature by Marcus Jastrow (gathering interest in the prepublication program)
• Targum Studies Collection (4 Vols.). Includes:
  • Targumic and Cognate Studies, edited by Kevin J. Cathcart and Michael Maher.
  • The Aramaic Bible, edited by D.R.G. Beattie and M.J. McNamara.
  • The Glory of Israel, by Bruce D. Chilton.
  • A Tribute to Geza Vermes, edited by Philip R. Davies and Richard T. White.

Those interested in studying the New Testament in light of the Targums can consult:

• Targum and New Testament: A Bibliography together with a New Testament Index.

Mishnah

The Mishnah, compiled around 200 CE by Judah haNasi, is the earliest compilation of Jewish oral traditions. As such, the Mishnah forms an important part of the 'Oral Torah' that compliments the 'Written Torah' (the Hebrew Bible) in the Jewish faith. Some of the authorities cited in the Mishnah date back to about 70 CE, when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. This makes the Mishnah of great interest to Christian scholars as well because it holds the possibility of illuminating cultural and religious practices reflected in the Christian New Testament writings.

• The Mishnah: A New Translation by Jacob Neusner. Neusner's translation structurally demonstrates the terse, formulaic language and poetry of the Mishnah.

Talmud

The Talmuds represent commentaries that unpack the dense language of the Mishnah. In addition, they incorporate other written or oral traditions not included in the Mishnah and to some extent reflect the changing times in which they were compiled. There are two talmudim, the Jerusalem (Yerushalmi) Talmud, compiled around 500 CE, and the larger, more normative Babylonian (Bavli) Talmud, which reached its final form circa 700 CE. (The term 'Gemara' is roughly synonymous with 'Talmud' - the 'Gemara' is the commentary proper while the 'Talmud' is technically the Gemara + Mishnah).

• The Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud (50 Vols.).
• Swimming in the Sea of Talmud, an introduction to Talmud studies, can be found in the Studies in Talmud and Midrash Collection.
• Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature by Marcus Jastrow (gathering interest in the prepublication program)

Those interested in a reading of the New Testament in light of the Talmud can consult:

• A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica (4 volumes) by John Lightfoot. (under development)

Halakhah

The Mishnah and Talmudim, and even the 613 commands found in the Torah, are part of a larger body of literature known as Halakhah, or Jewish Law.

• Jewish Law: History, Sources, Principles by Menachem Elon (4 volumes, translated from Hebrew).

Midrash

Midrashic literature is biblical exegesis. The Halakhic literature might cite the Hebrew Bible as a source of authority, but halakha is not typically structured around interpreting a biblical text verse by verse like Midrash.

• Searching for Meaning in Midrash, an introductory textbooks by Michael Katz and Gershon Schwatrz, can be found in the Studies in Talmud and Midrash Collection.
• Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael (2 Volumes, Hebrew text with English translation by Jacob Z. Lauterbach) can be found in the JPS Classic Midrash Collection. This Mekhilta forms a commentary on Exodus 12 through 35, and reached its final form in the 3rd or 4th century.
• Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai (Hebrew text with English translation by Jacob Z. Lauterbach) can be found in the JPS Classic Midrash Collection. This Mekhilta forms a commentary on Exodus 3 through 35, and reached its final form in the 4th century.
• Pesikta de-Rab Kahana (Hebrew text with English translation by Jacob Z. Lauterbach) can be found in the JPS Classic Midrash Collection. The midrash in the Pesikta follows a "lectionary"-like cycle of readings, with the homilies following the Sabbaths and feasts of the Jewish calendar. The Pesikta dates from the 5th or 6th century.

Aggadah

The Aggadot are stories about biblical characters that don't appear in the Bible itself, or other bits of folklore. Many of these stories can be found in the Talmud or Midrash.

• Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg. These books weave the legends found in the Talmudim and the Midrashic literature into one continuous narrative, but then extensive footnotes allow one to trace the different story elements through the various Judaic sources.

Modern Jewish Reference Works

• The Encyclopaedia of Judaism (5 volumes, edited by Jacob Neusner).
• JPS Torah Commentaries and Bible Commentaries (9 volumes).
• The Jewish Encyclopedia (12 volumes). (gathering interest in the prepublication program)
• Entering the High Holy Days by Reuven Hammer. This is a discussion of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur published by the Jewish Publication Society.
• Studies in Biblical Interpretation by Nahum Sarna, The Jewish Bible: A JPS Guide, The Torah through Time, Who's Who in the Jewish Bible can all be found in the Hebrew Bible Reference Collection.
• JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions.
• JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words.