A major new French-language edition of the Talmud, based on Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s commentary, has been completed after years of work and substantial funding. The project aims to make the Gemara accessible to French-speaking Jews in Israel and in the diaspora, especially readers who do not fully command Hebrew or Aramaic. The edition includes precise punctuation, full vowel markings, and a clear explanation of the text.
The launch ceremony was held at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem and attended by President Isaac Herzog, philanthropist Patrick Drahi, foundation director Amalia Zerka, and senior figures from the Steinsaltz Center. The work was supported by the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation, managed by Zerka. Organizers framed the project as an historic reversal, turning the French language, once associated with the burning of the Talmud in Paris, into a vehicle for spreading Torah study.
Herzog said printing the entire Talmud in French creates a major opening for transmitting Jewish tradition to large audiences across the Jewish world. Drahi said Talmudic study is built on constructive disagreement and that, in Torah, debate does not divide but deepens understanding. He expressed hope that the new edition would help people listen to one another and bring hearts closer together.
Rabbi Meni Steinsaltz, the late scholar’s son and head of the center, said the event proved the eternity of the Jewish people’s Torah. He described the embers left in Paris centuries ago as becoming a great torch of light for French speakers, calling the edition a decisive answer to those who have sought to harm the Jewish people over the generations. Participants said the burned pages of the Gemara are now returning to Jewish bookshelves in full glory.
