The Talmud Yerushalmi Institute announces the “Or Layesharim” elucidated Talmud Yerushalmi authored by Rabbi Yehoshua Buch. The editions are available in print and PDF (http://www.talmudyerushalmi.org/talmud-yerushalmi-mevoar/). The commentary is seizing the growing interest in the Talmud Yerushalmi and Torat Eretz Yisrael in Israel and the United States. The OU which as drawn 1,800 daily listeners to its Bavli Daf Yomi cycle has now launched its new Talmud Yerushalmi daf yomi cycle.
The importance of the Talmud Yerushalmi lies in it being the source for the methods of learning and interpretation of the Mishnah and Tanaitic texts which are quite different from that of the Talmud Bavli. In addition, the Talmud Yerushalmi contains much halakhic and aggadic material that does not exist in the Talmud Bavli and teaches us much about the laws and customs of Eretz Yisrael through out the generations.
The uniqueness of the commentary is its reliance on the manuscripts and genizah fragments of the Talmud Yerushalmi that survived, through a meticulous examination of the unique language and terminology of the Talmud Yerushalmi using contemporary studies. It also draws upon traditional commentaries and Academic studies (e.g. Lieberman, Epstein, Halivni) from a broad variety of fields to help determine the correct interpretation of the Talmud Yerushalmi.
In addition, the commentary provides comparisons and parallels with the Talmud Bavli and other Rabbinic sources which give the reader a fuller picture of the matter at hand. Terminology and word usage are definined helping the reader assimilate the style of the Talmud Yerushalmi that differs so much from that of the Bavli)
The work has approbations from Rabbi Nehemya Zalman Goldberg (Beth Din Hagadol in Jerusalem, R. Shapira (of Merkaz Harav), R. Eliya (former Sephardic chief Rabbi of Israel) and Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef (Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel