Shrouded in legend, wrapped in mystery, disparaged, censored, and sometimes even burned, the Talmud remains one of the cornerstones of Judaism. Yet the general reader knows little about it. What is the source of the shared inspiration underlying Talmudic texts which are known to address every aspect of human existence? What are the basic Talmudic notions of morality, politics, and the law, as well as of family and social relationships? Georges Hansel unveils the basic Talmudic principles as well as the underlying inspirational forces that are responsible for their coherence. This is the intimate fusion between, on the one hand, abstraction and the purest, most uplifting ideal, and, on the other, the concrete substance of day-to-day living.

Georges Hansel is a mathematician and professor emeritus at the University of Rouen, France. Parallel to his scientific career, he has researched extensively in the field of Jewish exegesis.