Yes, that's part of what makes the Talmud so confusing. And why they always say you need a teacher when you study it.
The Tanach (Torah/Bible) is much more accessible. Similar to the gospels. There are stories that can access all readers. Children and scholars and all in between can both discuss the significance of Noah's ark or the golden calf. They'll discuss it at different levels of comprehension, but they can get the basis.
The Talmud though is more for a certain set. There's some stories, but even the stories in the Talmud are heavy with symbolism and "you need to know this so you can understand that."
I recall one Rabbi discussing a story / passage that was heavy with symbolism. Like "A Frog became a Tree which became a Bird, which lay an egg and if I didn't see it I wouldn't have believed it." When he offered his explanation (what frog and bird and tree meant) ... let's just say any guesses I had to what it was about at the start were completely in the dark.
Yes, that's part of what makes the Talmud so confusing. And why they always say you need a teacher when you study it.
The Tanach (Torah/Bible) is much more accessible. Similar to the gospels. There are stories that can access all readers. Children and scholars and all in between can both discuss the significance of Noah's ark or the golden calf. They'll discuss it at different levels of comprehension, but they can get the basis.
The Talmud though is more for a certain set. There's some stories, but even the stories in the Talmud are heavy with symbolism and "you need to know this so you can understand that."
I recall one Rabbi discussing a story / passage that was heavy with symbolism. Like "A Frog became a Tree which became a Bird, which lay an egg and if I didn't see it I wouldn't have believed it." When he offered his explanation (what frog and bird and tree meant) ... let's just say any guesses I had to what it was about at the start were completely in the dark.