Biography

Adin Steinsaltz was born on July 11, 1937 in Jerusalem. He was an actor, known for Dau (2019) and Den femte port (2000). He was married to Sarah. He died on August 7, 2020 in Jerusalem.

He was a rabbi who devoted several decades to translating the Talmud into modern Hebrew. He added modern punctuation, paragraph divisions, illustrations, and extensive background material to make it more user-friendly. He oversaw a team of translators who worked through interruptions including several Middle East wars. A modern Hebrew edition was completed in 2010. The Steinsaltz Talmud (or portions thereof) was translated into several other languages, including English.

He wrote dozens of books and commentaries on subjects ranging from philosophy to biblical zoology. In addition to a center in Jerusalem, he founded religious schools in Israel and the former Soviet Union.

The Bible is the record of when God talks to Man. The Talmud, though, is Man talking to God.

The Talmud is the central pillar of Jewish knowledge, important for the overall understanding of what is Jewish. But it is a book that Jews cannot understand. This is a dangerous situation, like a collective amnesia. I tried to make pathways through which people will be able to enter the Talmud without encountering impassable barriers. It's something that will always be a challenge, but I tried to make it at least possible.