Ein Yaakov(Hebrew:עין יעקב,"Jacob's Well ") is a 16th-century compilation of all theAggadicmaterial in theTalmudtogether with commentaries.[1][2][3]Its introduction contains an account of the history of Talmudic censorship and the termGemara.It was compiled byJacob ibn Habiband (after his death) by his son RabbiLevi ibn Habib.
Ein Yaakovwas "especially treasured by laborers and others" who lacked the schoolingto learn the more difficult parts of the Talmud.Synagogues commonly hold dailyEin Yaakovclasses.[2][3]With its commentaries, it is also a work of serious scholarship.[2]
Many prints ofEin Yaakovinclude commentaries that illuminate the simple meaning of the text and provide additional insight,[2]including the author's own, "Ha-Kotev". The most important commentary is that ofLeo di Modena,under the title "Ha-Boneh", which has appeared in all editions since 1684.[1]TheVilnaedition (1883) contains twenty commentaries,[1]mainly reproducing other works onMidrashandAggadah,esp. those byZundel ben JosephandMaharsha.
Hayyim Abulafia's"Shebut Ya'akob" was written in 1733.
The more recentEin Ayahis a separate four-volume work byRabbi Abraham Isaac Kook,begun in 1883.
Older prints of the work often include aYiddishtranslation.[2]
AnEnglishtranslation in 5 volumes appeared in 1921, prepared by Rabbi Shmuel Tzvi Hirsch Glick ofChicago.It presents the original text on the right column of each page, with the corresponding English version to its left. It does not include any of the commentaries that appear in the classic version, but Rabbi Glick's translation and accompanying footnotes suffice for comprehension.[4]Another English translation, byAvraham Yaakov Finkel,titledEin Yaakov: The Ethical and Inspirational Teachings of the Talmud,was compiled in one volume.[5]Beginning in 2019,Mesorah Publicationshas begun releasing its translation.
