LOGINEin Yaakov
“Most secrets of the Torah are concealed within its words” (Tanya, Igeret Hakodesh, Epistle 23).
Welcome to Ein Yaakov
While most of the Talmud discusses the legal laws (halachah) of Judaism (see here for more), it also entails numerous tales and stories with moral and ethical lessons.
It was the stories that carried deep meaning and mystery, held core messages and insight into the Jewish faith and were sources of encouragement for Jewish practice that were incorporated into the Talmud.
Despite the simplicity of a story and its appeal to the unlearned Jew who yearned for Talmudic inspiration, it was hard to find the tales, being that they were scattered throughout the many volumes of the Talmud. Rabbi Ya’akov Ibn Habib (1460–1516) of Spain compiled all these tales and midrashic material into one volume and called it Ein Yaakov (“The Eye of Jacob”). The book appealed to the masses and quickly became popular.
Make the Most of Your Ein Yaakov Study
While Ein Yaakov can be studied alone and at any time, there are many accounts of Ein Yaakov being studied in public in the synagogue.
The Alter Rebbe writes: Show respect to G-d, and every weekday, before nightfall, i.e., between the Mincha and Maariv prayer, one should learn in a quorum of ten, the mystical elements of Torah, namely, the Aggadah that is found in the volume of Ein Yaakov.
Reasons and Benefits
If you wish to know He who spoke and brought the world into being, learn Aggadah, for through it you come to recognize the Holy One, Blessed be He, and cleave to His ways. — Sifrei, Ekev, ch. 49
Learning Ein Yaakov atones for one’s sins. —Arizal, cited in Tanya, ibid.
The Midrashic teachings are called Aggadah, because they bring together (Oged) all the Jewish people. — Or Hatorah, Tzemach Tzedek, Shemos, p. 320
Ein Yaakov in Your Chayenu — Video
