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discretion, but rather examined the tradition all the way back to the
Great Assembly. Some of tractates preceded him; these he merely
supplemented.
During this time period (around 200 CE) the Mishna, as such, was never
published. Instead the main study of Jewish law was conducted in
memorized form, except for private letters and notes.
The Mishna consists of six orders (sedarim). This explains the
traditional name for the Talmud as 'Shas'. 'Shas' is simply an
abbreviation of shishah sedarim, six orders'. Each of the six orders
contains between 7 and 12 tractates, called 'masekhot'. Each masekhot
is divided into smaller units called 'mishnayot'.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.10: What is the relationship between the Mishna and the
Torah?
Answer:
The Mishna contains the detailed instructions necessary for following
the rules that were merely outlined in the Torah.
Which is a subset of which? Consider that although the basic laws of
Judaism were revealed/developed simultaneously, only the basic mitzvot
(without instructions on how to fulfill them) were originally written
down. Although the Mishna was written centuries later, they are both
of equal stature. However, because the Mishna includes most the laws
of the Torah--and presents additional information--one could say that
for practical purposes the Torah is a subset of the Mishna. Note that
the Mishna does not quite cover all the laws in the Torah. Omissions
include the laws of Mezuzot and the Priestly benedictions.
When one gets to the Talmud, one sees that the Mishna is a subset of
the Talmud, as the Talmud includes practically all of the Mishna as
well as additional information.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.11: What are the Orders of the Mishna?
Answer:
The orders of the Mishna are as follows:
1. First Order: Zeraim (Seeds). 11 tractates. This order deals with
agricultural laws and prayers
2. Second Order: Mo'ed (Festival Days). 12 tractates. This order
pertains to the laws of the Sabbath and the Festivals.
3. Third Order: Nashim (Women). 7 tractates. This order concerns
marriage and divorce.
4. Fourth Order: Neziqin (Damages). 10 tractates. This order deals
with civil and criminal law.
5. Fifth Order: Qodashim (Holy Things). 11 tractates. This order
involves sacrificial rites, the Temple, and the dietary laws.
6. Sixth order: Toharot (Purity). 12 tractates. This order pertains
to ritual and the laws of ritual purity (including family purity.)
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.12: What is the Tosefta?
Answer:
The Mishna is basic compilation of the Oral Law, and was written down
around 200 CE. However there is another compilation of Oral Law from
that time period--the Tosefta. Rashi (in his commentary on BT
Sanhedrin 33a) writes that the Mishna was redacted by Rabbi Judah
Ha-Nasi in consultation with members of the Academy, while the Tosefta
was edited by Rabbis Hiyya and Oshaiah on their own. This gave the
Tosefta less authority than the Mishna; today, the Tosefta is treated
a supplement to the Mishna.
The word 'tosefta' means 'supplement'. The Tosefta is a Halakhic work
which corresponds in structure almost exactly to the Mishna, with the
same divisions for sedarim (orders) and masekhot (tractates). It is
mainly written is Mishnaic Hebrew, with a few Aramaic sentences. The
actual writing is called the Tosefot or Tosefos, depending on your
Hebrew dialect.
Tosefot was produced by a school of French Rabbis of the 12th century.
Their thoughts were combined into a commentary on the Babylonian
Talmud.
Tosefot is found on the outside of each page (on the left of the left
page, or the right part of the right one) wrapped around the text.
Rashi, who was father and grandfather of a number of the Tosafists
appears on the inside, nearer the binding.
The thrust of the commentary is to resolve the meaning of the page
both when internally difficult and they were dissatisfied with Rashi's
understanding, or when there are difficulties understanding the text
in light of what is written elsewhere in the Talmud. (Rashi doesn't
directly refer to the latter kind of problem.)
Professors Agus and Ta-Shma argue that Tosafot set out to explain
Ashkenazic practice in light of the Talmud. The Babylonian Talmud had
gained exceptance as /the/ snapshot of the Oral Law. However,
Ashkenazic rulings and customs had until then been justified based on
other sources as well, the halachic medrashic texts, the Jerusalem
Talmud, etc... This is because of the number of Ashkenazic Jews who
came from Israel (via Italy), not Babylon. Now that the Babylonian
Talmud gained prominance, addressing questions of how ideas found in
Ashkenaz fit that greater picture became more urgent. They do not
overtly refer to this mission, but many of their answers do end up
providing such explanations.
Also, at the time, the Tosefists were one of two schools of thought.
There were also the Chassidei Ashkenaz, who were a pietist movement
that had a greater focus on going beyond the letter of the law. There
was much friction between the Tosefits and the Chassidim, much like
what happened with the current Chassidic movement, when it was founded
in the late 18th century.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.13: What is the relationship between the Tosefta and the
Mishna?
Answer:
The Tosefta was written shortly after the Mishna was redacted, and
seems to act as a supplement to it. It extensively quotes most of the
Mishna. The Tosefta offers author's names for laws that are anonymous
in the Mishna; It augments the Mishna with additional glosses and
discussions.
Additionally, it functions as a commentary on unquoted Mishnaic
material; It offers additional haggadic and midrashic material, and it
sometimes contradicts the Mishna in deciding Halakha, or in declaring
in whose name a law was given.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.14: What is the Gemara and what is the Talmud?
Answer:
The term 'gemara' means addition; The gemara is an addition to the
Mishna. Interestingly, although there is only one Mishna, there are
two gemaras, each developed by many rabbis over a few centuries. One
gemara was developed in Israel, and is called the Yerushalmi; the
other was developed in Babylonia, and is called the Bavli. You never
find the gemara printed by itself. It is always printed along with the
Mishna.
When you have the Babylonian gemara and the Mishna printed together,
it is called Talmud Bavli (The Babylonian Talmud).
When you have the Israeli gemara and the Mishna printed together, it
is called Talmud Yerushalmi (or the Jerusalem Talmud, or the
Palestinian Talmud, or the Talmud of the Land of Israel.)
Keep in mind that the gemaras do not stick closely to the text, but
offer a huge amount of additional material which is only loosely
connected to the Mishna. They supplement the Mishna with haggadic
materials and biblical expositions, and are a source for history and
legend.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.15: What is the Talmud?
Answer:
The word 'talmud' literally means 'study'. The Talmud is sometimes
referred to as the Shas. Shas is a shortened form of the term 'Shisha
Sedarim (six orders), a reference to the six orders of the Mishna.
There are two distinct works known as Talmud: the Yerushalmi
(Jerusalem or Palestinian) Talmud, and the Bavli (Babylonian Talmud).
However, the Babylonian Talmud has greater popularity and authority,
so the generic term 'Talmud' almost always refers to the Babylonian
Talmud. The generic 'gemara' thus refers to the gemara of the
Babylonian Talmud. References to the Jerusalem Talmud are explicitly
qualified.
Traditionally, the Talmud is the supreme sourcebook of Law, as it
takes the rules listed in the Torah and describes how to apply them to
different circumstances. Although technically not a legal code (other
works were created for that purpose), it is the ultimate source
material that is used to decide all matters of Halakha (Jewish law).
Traditional rabbis study the Talmud in depth; however, they use the
actual Talmud very rarely, preferring to accept opinions in later law
codes as binding. Study of Talmud for its own sake is considered a
great mitzvah.
Conservative rabbis also consider Halakha as binding, but do not
always accept the most recent and stringent opinions in the latest law
codes as absolutely binding; As such they use the Talmud in the same
way that rabbis of past eras used to use it. This is theoretically
still an option in the Orthodox community, but in practice is used
very rarely.
Reform and Reconstructionist Jews do not teach Talmud in their Hebrew
schools, but do teach it in their rabbinical seminaries. This material
is used as part of the research into the application of Torah law, but
the research also includes study of the larger context of the time,
and the parallels to other co-existant societies.
A citation "Check the gemara, Yevamos 12b" means tractate Yevamos,
folio 12, reverse side of the folio as per the organization of the
Vilna edition of the Babylonian Talmud. Similarly, Chullin 5a would be
the obverse side of the fifth folio of tractate Chullin. "Daf Yomi" is
a program in which the participants study both sides of a folio of the
Babylonian Talmud every day of the year. It takes about 7.5 years to
complete the cycle.
After the closing of the Talmud, there has been considerable further
development of the Law in the areas of practical application, but
always in a tone that reveres the stated views of the Talmudic rabbis
as being on a higher plane than those of our modern scholars, who are
free to interpret but not to contradict. A sharp distinction is always
drawn between Torah Law (meaning law that derives directly from
prohibitions in the Written or Oral Torah) and Rabbinic Law (meaning
law that the Talmudic rabbis adopted as a `fence' to protect us from
unwarily transgressing Torah Law), and different standards are used to
judge cases of doubt in matters of Torah Law than of Rabbinic. Often,
a false distinction is made by uninformed posters between `Torah'
(meaning Written) Law and Oral Law---in traditional Judaism, the two
stand together in distinction to Rabbinic Law. Example: the Written
Law says `an eye for an eye'. The Oral Law says (and historical
documents from the Second Temple era confirm) that this was _never_
intended literally, but rather means `measured and just (monetary)
compensation for damages inflicted'. The Rabbinic Law upholds this
principle, but might still command a man to forego the monetary
damages in certain cases so as not to even come close to transgressing
some other Torah prohibition, such as exacting interest on a debt, or
causing baseless hatred. The first two are Torah, the last is not. But
all are binding on Jews worldwide. (Note: A still lower level of
`law', called minhag, or `custom', is post-Talmudic and usually has
force only within particular communities.)
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.16: What is Talmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud)?
Answer:
The Talmud Yerushalmi, also known as the Jerusalem Talmud (JT), the
Palestinian Talmud, Talmud Eretz Yisrael (Talmud of the Land of
Israel) and Gemara de Eretz Yisrael, is the Mishna plus the Yerushalmi
gemara. It is interesting to note that the JT that we have today is
missing a huge amount of material. There is only commentary for the
first four orders of the Mishna; The rest has been lost to history.
The JT gemara is also missing for tractates Avot and Eduyot, parts of
Toharot and other sections as well. Despite extensive scholarship, it
still is unclear why this material was not included in the final
redaction of the JT.
Rabbi Yohanan bar Nappaha was the main redactor of the JT. It was
redacted around 500 to 550 CE. Additionally, the name 'Jerusalem
Talmud' is a misnomer; it was most likely written in Northern Israel,
specifically Tiberias.
In general, whenever the JT contradicts the Babylonian Talmud (BT),
the law follows the BT. Only on matters where BT is silent or unclear
does the authority of the JT prevail.
The absence of numerous Mishna tractates and chapters, the numerous
self contradictions, as well as other internal evidence, suggests that
the JT was not in fact redacted in the proper sense of the word, but
rather was a hasty collection of material. Many scholars believe that
the reason for the ultimate acceptance of the BT rather than the JT
had a lot to do with the power struggles between the two Jewish
communities. Thus it can be argued that the poor preservation of the
JT may be a result of its rejection rather than its cause.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.17: What is Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud)?
Answer:
The Talmud Bavli (BT) is the Mishna plus the Babylonian gemara. It is
much more complete than the Talmud Yerushalmi (JT), and the redaction
is much more careful and precise. Still, it is by no means complete.
The gemara only exists for 37 out of the 63 tractates of the Mishna.
Why did these tractates remain without gemara in the BT? The
traditional answer is that the laws of Zeraim and Toharot (except
Niddah) had no practical relevance:
* The agricultural laws were tied only to the land of Israel. In the
diaspora these laws simply were of no use.
* The purity laws (except for family purity) were no longer
applicable, because there was no longer a Temple and sacrificial
system.
One might think then that there would be no BT gemara on Qodashim...
but there is. This is probably because the study of the sacrificial
regulations is generally thought of as being on par with actually
performing sacrifices.
In the usual printed editions, the BT comprises the full Mishna, the
37 gemaras, and the extra-canonical (minor) tractates. Typically, this
comprises 5,894 pages, and is much more extensive than the JT.
The overall character of BT is encyclopedic. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz
states in The Essential Talmud (Basic Books, Inc., New York, 1976):
The Talmud is the repository of thousands of years of Jewish
wisdom. And the Oral Law, which is as ancient and significant as
the Written Law (Torah), finds expression therein. It is a
conglomerate of law, legend, and philosophy, a blend of unique
logic and shrewd pragmatism, of history and science, anecdote and
humor.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.18: What is Rashi's Commentary on the Talmud?
Answer:
Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac (or: Shlomo Yitzhaki) is known by the acronym
"Rashi". Rashi lived from 1040 to 1105 in Troyes, France.
[In the www.scjfaq.org version, there is a picture of a Talmud Page to
Illustrate This] In the Talmud, Rashi's Commentary is always situated
towards the middle of the opened book display; i.e. on the side of the
page closest to the binding. The semi-cursive font in which the
commentaries are printed is often referred to as "Rashi script." This
does not mean that Rashi himself used such a script, only that the
printers standardly employ it for commentaries. And Rashi's were the
commentaries par excellence to both the Bible and the Talmud. Rashi's
Commentary, which covers almost the whole of the Babylonian Talmud,
has been printed in every version of the Talmud since the first
Italian printings.
Rashi's commentary provides a full and adequate explanation of the
words, and of the logical structure of each Talmudic passage. Unlike
some other commentaries, Rashi does not paraphrase or exclude any part
of the text, but carefully elucidates the whole of the text. Rashi
also exerted a decisive influence on establishing the correct text of
the Talmud. He compared different manuscripts and determined the
readings that should be preferred.
Rashi's commentary does not exist for every tractate of the Babylonian
Talmud, and a few of the printed commentaries attributed to him were
composed by others. In some instances, the text indicates that Rashi
died before completing the tractate, and that it was completed by a
student. This is true of the tractate Makkot, the concluding portions
of which were composed by his son-in-law Rabbi Judah ben Nathan. It is
also true of tractate Bava Batra finished (in a much wordier and
detailed style) by his grandson, Rabbi Samuel ben Meir (Rashbam), one
of the prominent contributors to the Tosafot. It is probably a sign of
the success of Rashi's achievement that no subsequent scholar, until
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz in the late 20th century, tried to compose
another comprehensive explanatory commentary.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.19: What is the Tosafot?
Answer:
The Tosafot are commentary on the Talmud by various Rabbis shortly
after the time of Rashi; Many of these rabbis were descendants of
Rashi himself.
The word "Tosafot" translates as "additions" or "supplements." This
means that their authors and editors saw their work as supplements to
Rashi's basic commentary. Some have seen the Tosafot as an addition to
the Talmud itself. It carries on the Talmud's own methods of
dialectical argument and debate. The Tosafot are printed on the outer
margin of the page; i.e., when looking at an opened book you will see
the Tosafot in the columns closest to the edges of the pages, farthest
from the binding. They appear in Rashi script, with the headings of
each discussion in large square letters. The Tosafot that have been
printed in the standard Talmud editions are merely an accidental
selection from a vast literature that circulated in manuscript. Some
of the other Tosafot compendia have been published as separate works.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.20: Who wrote the Tosafot?
Answer:
The Tosafot were composed by many scholars in different schools
throughout the 12th and 13th centuries. They probably originated as
students' notes of the discussions that took place in the Talmudic
academy [=Yeshivah]. As students moved from one yeshivah to another
they would assemble personal lists of the Tosafot of their various
teachers. Some of the most prominent contributors to the Tosafot were:
Rabbi Jacob ben Meir (Rabbenu Tam). 1100 - 1171.
Rashi's grandson, lived in the French town of Ramerupt.
Rabbi Samuel ben Meir (The Rashbam). 1080 - 1158.
A grandson of Rashi's and the brother of Rabbenu Tam. In
addition to his contributions to the Tosafot, he composed a
famous commentary to the Torah that is distinguished by its
scholarly objectivity in restricting itself to the plain,
contextual meaning of the text without imposing the traditional
Rabbinic interpretations.
Rabbi Isaac of Dampierre (The Ri).
A nephew of Rabbenu Tam and the Rashbam, he lived in France
during the 12th century; One of the most prolific of the
Tosafists.
Rabbi Samson [ben Abraham] of Sens.
He lived in France during the latter 12th and early 13th
centuries, and eventually moved to Jerusalem. He was the most
important disciple of Rabbi Isaac of Dampierre. In addition to
his Tosafot he composed a commentary to the two orders of the
Mishnah for which there is no Babylonian Talmud.
Rabbi Meir [ben Barukh] of Rothenburg. 1225 - 1293.
Rabbi Meir made important contributions to Jewish civil law,
and his many students diligently collected his customs,
responsa and rulings, often comparing them with the material in
the important Spanish codes of Jewish law.
Unlike the explanatory commentaries, such as Rashi's, the Tosafot do
not attempt to provide a full elucidation of the Talmud text. Rather
they focus on particular issues in the Talmud or in Rashi's commentary
which they explore in depth. They often propose alternative readings
or interpretations to the ones presented by Rashi.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.21: What is the relationship of the Tosefta to the
Talmuds?
Answer:
Both Talmud Bavli and Talmud Yerushalmi mostly ignore the Tosefta. The
Babylonian and the Jerusalem gemaras to the Mishna usually proceed
independently of material contained in the Tosefta.
The only explicit quotation of the Tosefta in the Talmuds is in
Masekhot Yoma, 70A. However, many baraitot (authoritative legal
material that was not redacted as part of the Mishna) quoted in the
gemara correspond very closely to teachings in the Tosefta, agreeing
in substance but differing in wording.
Many rabbis in the gemara discuss a problem that seems already to have
been solved in the Tosefta. The question is, are they unfamiliar with
the Tosefta, or was the Tosefta considered non-authoritative, or were
they simply unable to recall the Tosefta?
The complete Hebrew text of the Tosefta is appended to the backs of
Hebrew versions of the Talmud. An English translation by Jacob Neusner
is available. There are also translations of complete Tosefta chapters
available in different scholarly works.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.22: What are Baraitot?
Answer:
Any authoritative legal material that was not redacted as part of the
Mishna is known as Baraitot. Often the Gemara (main part of the
Talmud) will quote a legal source outside the Mishna; This is a
quoting of a baraita. Everything in the Tosefta is Baraita by
definition, although there is much material that is considered Baraita
that is from outside the Tosefta. The word 'baraita' means 'external
teaching'.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.23: What are the extra-canonical (minor) tractates?
Answer:
At the end of the Order Neziqin of BT, one finds a number of minor
tractates:
1. Avot de Rabbi Nathan. This is found in two versions, one with 41
chapters, another has 48.
2. Soferim. There is a BT version of this, as well as a JT version.
3. Eyvel Rabbati. This tractate about laws and customs pertaining to
dying and mourning is sometimes euphemistically called 'Semakhot'
(rejoicing) by Rashi and others.
4. Kalah. Discusses engagement, marriage and sex.
5. Derekh Eretz Rabbah. This phrase literally means 'The Ways of the
World', but is taken to mean deportment, manners and behavior.
6. Derekh Eretz Zutta. Addresses to scholars, it is a collection of
maxims urging self examination and modesty.
7. Pereq haShalom.
8. Sefer Torah. Regulations about writing Torah scrolls.
9. Mezuzah
10. Tefillin
11. Tzitzit
12. Avadim. Slaves, or more accurately, indentured servants.
13. Gerim. Converts to Judaism.
14. Kutim. Samaritans.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.24: What is a Midrash?
Answer:
Dr. Jacob Neusner explains that the word 'Midrash' is based on a
Hebrew word meaning 'interpretation' or 'exegesis'. He shows that the
term 'Midrash' has three main usages:
1. The term 'Midrash' can refer to a particular way of reading and
interpreting a biblical verse. Thus we may say that the ancient
rabbis provided Midrash to Scripture. This does not mean that any
interpretation of scripture is automatically true rabbinical
Midrash. In fact, most of what people call 'Modern Midrash' has
nothing to do with the classical modes of literary exegesis that
guided the rabbis. Commentary and Midrash are two different
things! In order to get a good idea of what classical rabbinic
Midrash really is, one has to actually study it; No two or three
sentence definition can accurately define the structure of
Midrash.
2. The term 'Midrash' can refer to a book - a compilation of
Midrashic teachings. Thus one can say that "Genesis Rabbah" is a
book that is a compilation of Midrash readings on the book of
Genesis.
3. The term 'Midrash' can refer to a particular verse and its
interpretation. Thus one can say that "The Midrash on the verse
Genesis 1:1 says that...[and some Midrashic interpretation of the
verse would go here].
Dr. Charles T. Davis (Appalachian Statue University, Philosophy and
Religion Department, NC) has prepared a [5]summary of the definition
and features of Midrash, based on Rabbi Burton Visotzky's "Reading the
Bible". This summary says that once a canon (i.e., approved scriptural
text) is closed, the problem facing the community is the problem of
"searching out" the canon. Midrash is a method of reading the Bible as
an Eternal text, and is the result of applying a set of hermeneutical
principles evolved by the community to guide one in reading the canon,
in order to focus one's reading. The ultimate goal of midrash is to
"search out" the fullness of what was spoken by the Divine Voice.
In developing midrash, there are two schools of thought on how to
handle the language of Torah. One is that the language is the language
of human discourse, and is subject to the same redundancies and
occasional verbiage that we all encounter in desultory conversation.
The other view holds that since Scripture is the Word of G@d, no word
is superfluous. Every repetition, every apparent mistake, every
peculiar feature of arrangement or order has meaning.
Midrash minimizes the authority of the wording of the text as
communication, normal language. It places the focus on the reader and
the personal struggle of the reader to reach an acceptable moral
application of the text. While it is always governed by the wording of
the text, it allows for the reader to project his or her inner
struggle into the text. This allows for some very powerful and moving
interpretations which, to the ordinary user of language, seem to have
very little connection with the text. The great weakness of this
method is that it always threatens to replace the text with an
outpouring of personal reflection. At its best it requires the
presence of mystical insight not given to all readers.
Additional reading on Midrash may be found in the [6]Midrash Reading
List.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.25: What are Halakhic (or Tannaitic) Midrashim?
Answer:
These are exegetical [5]midrashim on the books of Exodus, Leviticus
and Deuteronomy, primarily legal. They establish the Tanakh (Hebrew
bible) as the source of Halakha.
------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: Question 3.26: What are the main Halakhic Midrashim?
Answer:
Mekhilta. The Mekhilta is an important commentary on Exodus. It is
essential to note that there are two separate versions of this midrash
collection. One is "Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael" and the other is
"Mekhilta de Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai". The former is the one that most
Jews use today, but the latter is the text that was used by many
medieval Jewish authorities. While the latter (ben Yohai) text was
popularly circulated in manuscript form from the 11th to 16th
centuries, it was lost for all practical purposes until it was
rediscovered and printed in the 19th century.
* Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael. This is a halakhic commentary on
Exodus, concentrating on the legal sections, from Exodus 12 to 35.
It derives halakha from Biblical verses. This midrash collection
was redacted into its final form around the 3rd or 4th century CE;
its contents indicate that its sources are some of the oldest
midrashim, dating back possibly to the time of Rabbi Akiva. The
midrash on Exodus that was known to the Amoraim is not the same as
our current mekhilta; their version was only the core of what
later grew into the present form.
* Mekhilta de Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai. Based on the same core
material as Mekhlita de Rabbi Ishmael, it followed a second route
of commentary and editing, and eventually emerged as a distinct
work. The Mekhlita de Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai is an exegetical
midrash on Exodus 3 to 35, and is very roughly dated to near the
4th century CE.
Sifra. A comprehensive halakhic commentary on Vayikra (Leviticus),
which works through all of Leviticus verse by verse. References in the
Talmud to the Sifra are ambiguous; It is uncertain whether the texts
mentioned in the Talmud are to an earlier version of our Sifra, or to
the sources that the Sifra also drew upon. However, we do know that
the references to the Sifra from the time of the Geonim and after are
to the text that is extant today. The core of this text developed in
the mid-3rd century as a critique and commentary of the Mishnah,
although subsequent additions and editing went on for some time
afterwards.
* Sifre Numbers. A mainly halakhic midrash on Bamidbar (Numbers). It
also includes a long haggadic piece in sections 78-106. References
in the Talmud, and in the later Geonic literature, indicate that
the original core of Sifre was on Numbers, Exodus and Deuteronomy.
However, transmission of the text was imperfect, and by the middle
ages, only the commentary on Numbers and Deuteronomy remained. The
core material was redacted around the middle of the 3rd century.
* Sifre Zutta (The small Sifre). A Halakhic commentary on Bamidbar
(Numbers). The text of this midrash is only partially preserved in
medieval works, while other portions were discovered by Solomon
Schecter in his research in the famed Cairo Geniza. It seems to be
older than most other midrash, coming from the early 3rd century.
Terminology alert: Maimonides refers to this work as Mekhlita (de
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