Greatest Insights of the Talmudic Sages: A Roadmap for a Gratifying and Meaningful Life

Abstract

This paper examines the sayings, maxims, stories, and aphorisms of the Talmud and Midrash in order to better understand the philosophy of life of Judaism’s ancient sages. More than 800 such recorded insights are examined and categorized. The sages of the Talmud were active from about 10 BCE until 500 CE, a period of more than 500 years, while most Midrash collections were written from the 2nd–10th centuries.