Aggadah is the non-legal portion of the Talmud. It contains the stories, the moral and ethical lessons, the ideas of our faith and our religion. In the Aggadah, we meet the wise and holy Sages of the Talmud not only as masters of the law, but as masters of the human experience.
Compiled in the 16th century, Ein Yaakov is a classic collection of all the Aggadic material found in Talmud Bavli and Talmud Yerushalmi. For many centuries it has been among the most popular of Talmudic works. Many shuls had Ein Yaakov classes, in which, after long days at work, men drew inspiration from the holy teachings, parables, stories and lessons contained in Ein Yaakov and its commentaries. Our Rabbis understood the workings of man and taught us lessons that are still relevant today.
