The Korean Talmud webpages I have seen treat the Talmud the same way one treats Aesop's Fables, as a shorthand way to gain insights into morality and how to live as well as plain entertainment. The bulk of the Talmud - as a basis for an all-encompassing legal system - is not mentioned.
I cannot find any indication of any real Talmud study. I can't find any translations of Talmud into Korean, nor any indication of scholarly study of the Aramaic/Hebrew original by Korean students. And in no way are the Koreans taking advantage of the parts of the Talmud that have sharpened the minds of Jews for centuries - the intricate pilpul, the careful reading of texts for legal ramifications, the hours it takes to reconcile two seemingly opposing source-texts.
As far as I can tell, the Koreans think that the brief snippets of translation they have access to is the Talmud. They do not seem to understand what the Talmud really is, hence the confusion about so many Korean people think they own copies of the Talmud.
So while it is still a fascinating topic, YNet seems to have overblown it a bit.
Wouldn't be the first time that YNET has gotten a story wrong :-)
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they lied...not one left, and they immediately started mirror pages...which were just as quickly taken down
ReplyDeletei really hope they start the intifada on the 15th....it will mark a new naqba, and the end of the palestine myth
hope israel is investing in buses...time to move them all to jorda
I think it's Purimshpiel... but the hahamim at Ynet didn't realize it.
ReplyDeleteIn all seriousness, I used to work at an Orthodox Synagogue in New Zealand about 15 years ago. One day a person approached the Shule requesting to purchase a 10 year copyright in order to publish the Talmud in Korean. I thought he was a crackpot and sent him on his way. When I mentioned this to the Rav of the Shule he laughed and told me I was a shmuck - I should have sold it to him!
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