Ethics of Talmud

This book provides a standard edition of the Hebrew and Aramaic text of the important collection of Rabbinic maxims called Pirqe Avot, "The Sayings of the Fathers," along with a responsible translation and illuminating, brief, commentary. It is an excellent introduction to Rabbinic thought and ethics. The translator and editor, R. Travers Herford (1860-1950), was a prominent Christian scholar of Rabbinic Judaism. He gives the Pirqe Avot a wise and sympathetic interpretation. Here's a sample of the sayings: "Simon the Just...used to say, 'Upon three things the world stands: upon Torah, upon worship, and upon deeds of kindness'" (Pirqe Avot 1.2).