En Yaaqov: Jacob Ibn Habib’s Search for Faith in the Talmudic Corpus

By :  Marjorie Lehman Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics Posted On Feb 7, 2012 / 5773 | Author Conversations: Between the Lines
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Dr. Marjorie Lehman discusses the research behind her book The En Yaaqov: Jacob Ibn Habib’s Search for Faith in the Talmudic Corpus during a Library Book Talk at JTS in January. The book examines the tumultuous period surrounding the origins and development of the En Yaaqov, an early 16th-century collection of Talmudic Aggadah, and the En Yaaqov’s journey to the present as one of the most enduring texts of Judaism. Dr. Lehman argues that the experiences of Ibn Habib, its compiler, a Jew exiled from Spain in 1492, prompted him to make decisions not only about how the Talmud should be studied in the name of spiritual restoration, but also about how Jews could survive future expulsions by cultivating a sustainable faithful relationship with God.