The Talmud Is the Link Between Scripture and Jewish Practice The Hebrew Scripture (also known as Torah) is the bedrock of Jewish practice and beliefs. The Torah itself is fully aware that it must be seen as being greater than the sum of its parts, as indicated by the statement (Deut. Later generations of Jews—even Jews who never achieved the ability to study the Talmud itself—did study Scripture; the Pentateuch in particular was read through, year in and year out, in the synagogues. To a greater extent than the other main Jewish holy book, the Torah, the Talmud is a practical book about how to live. Harry Freedman's The Talmud: A Biography addresses almost all of these subjects . With the Temple’s destruction in 70 AD, the Sadducees became an anachronism, and disappeared more or less immediately. It explains the written texts of the Torah so that people know how to apply it to their lives. Questions of historical reliability, or of outside cultural influence, were in the long run irrelevant to this kind of inquiry. Jews have studied the Talmud for a great variety of reasons. {image_1}Perhaps this title intrigued you, but you aren’t sure why. The incredible consequence of this dual system is that it turned the Torah into a living, breathing document, with layer upon layer of depth and meaning. All Rights Reserved. Modern historical consciousness actually makes the traditional inquiry more difficult than ever. This would become the Talmud. This is why traditional Judaism focuses so heavily on the study of the Talmud, as opposed to simply reading the text of the Torah. These traditions are made up of two distinct parts. The Talmud, like the Mishnah before it, has always functioned as a training text for rabbis and their disciples. In many ways, the Talmud is the most important book in Jewish culture, the backbone of creativity and of national life. Even as this extraordinary project gathered pace, there were those who opposed it — either because they rejected the concept of an oral tradition altogether, or because they feared that formalizing such a vast body of law would restrict their ability to integrate into contemporary culture. (literally, “study”) is the generic term for the documents that comment and expand upon the Mishnah (“repeating”), the first work of rabbinic law, published around the year 200 CE by Rabbi Judah the Patriarch in the land of Israel. Talmud is the recording of over 700 years of Jewish thought that touches every aspect of human experience. But there is so much more to the Torah than meets the eye. Even if the details of the law had to be altered to suit newly arisen conditions, the proper way to perform such adaptation could itself be learned from the Talmud and its commentaries. [Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Avodah Zarah 36a] While we see the Talmud as an important historical resource, there are many reasons we cannot accept the rabbis’ assertion that it was given by Elohim. The Talmud is a transcription of Torah she'baal'peh, the Oral Law (law that is meant to be transmitted orally). How can questions of Jewish law be resolved from a text that may conceal scribal error on every line? This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, German Judge Silences Neo-Nazi Gunman Who Attacked Synagogue on Yom Kippur After He Denies Holocaust, Medieval Antisemitic Carvings on German Churches Should Be Explained, Not Removed, Expert Panel Recommends, Trump Administration Plans to Release List of BDS Groups, ‘Goodbye to Hanukkah’ New York Times Author Distances Herself as Criticism Mounts. As a result of this epiphany, the slow process of turning our rich oral backdrop into a structured body of knowledge began. “The Talmud tells a story about a great Rabbi who is dying, he has become a goses, but he cannot … The Talmud records the legal and religious discussions thousands of rabbis had over centuries until it was compiled in about 500 CE. Both professional and lay Talmudic scholarship is dedicated to determining the proper response to modern issues by intensive study of the Talmud. But the verses are often terse, containing layers of hidden meaning. Copyright © 2002-2020 My Jewish Learning. To ensure the survival of Judaism, we must be prepared to grow our personal Torah knowledge throughout our lives. The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (halakha) and Jewish theology. The Talmud is split into two parts. Comprised of the Mishnah and the Gemara, it contains the opinions of thousands of rabbis from different periods in Jewish history. In earlier ages, the pious Jew normally approached this same text with one unchanging question in mind, a question itself received from the past: How does the God of Israel, the Creator of the Universe, want me to live? They found holiness in their effort to bring rational order to their tradition, and as a result problem solving and disciplined logic became important characteristics of rabbinic discourse. Every Jew since that time owes their existence as a Jew not to the Sinaitic Torah — despite its superior sanctity and sacredness — but to the extraordinary body of knowledge that is the Talmud. These considerations help explain why modern, critical Talmud study was long resisted in traditional yeshivot [religious academies] and is still excluded from many of them. The Talmud is a book put together by people who saw intellectual activity as sanctifying. It’s studying how law was made in an ancient civilization, giving a picture into the past. The final version of the Talmud did not appear until many centuries later, but when it did, it contained a faithful record of discussions and statements by rabbis whose principle aim over hundreds of years had evidently been to formulate a body of knowledge that would both deliver the detailed information lacking in the Sinaitic Torah, while also generating continued enthusiastic discussion and innovation. It is a depiction of the primary codification of the Jewish decrees. For most of Jewish history, Jews in various communities have constituted self-governing enclaves within the larger society, and from the time rabbis rose to prominence as leaders of Jewry their legal traditions provided the rules by which these enclaves lived. In a paradox that determined the history of Judaism, the Talmud was Oral Torah in written form, and as such it became the clearest statement the Jew could hear of God’s very word. Comprised of the Mishnah and the Gemara, it contains the opinions of thousands of rabbis from different periods in Jewish history. Engaging in Talmud study allows teens to enter relevant and deep conversations about their lived experience through the use of our most epic, ancient anthology. Studying sacred writings is one of the Ten Commandments. Perhaps most important, it would explain to the uninitiated how to understand the Talmud's complicated logic. It is always assumed that the most important text of Judaism is the Torah. The Jewish belief is that Moses received the Torah as a written text alongside a commentary: the Talmud. After all, isn’t Torah (Gen.–Deut.) The reason that Josiah consulted Huldah instead of Jeremiah, the senior prophet of his day, was probably because Huldah was the leading Oral Torah teacher of her time, as indicated by an ancient Aramaic translation of 2 Kings (22:14). In a rather more specialized sense, the Talmud was also of practical use in the study of Scripture. The Talmud is the written compilation of the Mishnah and the... See full answer below. These Jews became known as the Sadducees, and were comprised of a broad group, encompassing everyone from Torah-scripture literalists to Hellenized Jews. Such a book could explain how the Talmud came to be and who reads it and why. Pronounced: MISH-nuh, Origin: Hebrew, code of Jewish law compiled in the first centuries of the Common Era. This past Sunday, one of the topics I taught to my 7th grade Hebrew school class was the mitzvah of learning Torah (called Talmud Torah).. This purist approach proved to be a disaster, however — and throughout this period, Jews and Judaism were in constant danger of vanishing completely. The Talmud is a book put together by people who saw intellectual activity as sanctifying. In it are things which are listed as acceptable and unacceptable, which using stronger language is viewed as legal or illegal according to Mosaic Law. B. Even in the past, for that matter, the main reason for the Talmud’s preeminence, the chief cause of its central role in Jewish history, was not practical at all. But while it is true that the Torah is uniquely revered as the essence of our faith identity — and elevated above all other texts as the unadulterated word of God — the primary text of Judaism is undoubtedly the Talmud. It would appear that immediately following the conquest of Canaan, and all the way through the destruction of the First Temple and into the Second Temple period, these traditions remained exclusively oral. Thus rabbinic marriage law became Jewish marriage law, rabbinic rules about the Sabbath became rules for all Jews, and so on. The point is not that God dictated the entire Talmud to later rabbis in the same way some believed the Written Torah had been dictated to Moses, but rather that in the Talmud the Jew could find a clear expression of God’s will. The Talmud is considered the oral traditions that coincide with the Torah. The Talmud was written by men who made an effort to further explain what was found in the torah. Never miss the best stories and events for families, children and teens! The Talmud is a written collection of teachings that were originally spoken among Jewish scholars and rabbis. But while it is true that the Torah is uniquely revered as the essence of our faith identity andelevated above all other texts as the unadulterated word of Godthe primary text of Judaism is undoubtedly the Talmud. Why do Jewish people study the Talmud and Hebrew Bible? Anyone, however, who aspired to the title “rabbi,” anyone who wished to be part of an ancient chain of tradition, had to become immersed in the “sea of the Talmud.” The Talmud therefore served the additional practical function of training religious leaders. For this reason, even before the Talmud was complete, ancient rabbis had evolved such a complicated etiquette for Torah study that study became a religious ritual in its own right, indeed, in the opinion of many, the most sacred ritual that Jewish life had to offer. A. the Writings B. the Torah C. the Hebrew Bible D. the Talmud please help i dont want a bad grade again . Not all so trained thereupon took up the authority now available to them. Some were teachers, or administrators, or political advisors; some, for that matter, were merchants. . During the rebellious reign of King Josiah (c.649-609 BCE), the High Priest Hilkiah discovered a Torah scroll while renovating the Temple, and brought it to the king’s attention. The three-letter root for the Hebrew word “teach” — LMD. Together with the Gemara, it makes up the Talmud. In this workshop, we will study Talmud as an exercise in discovery and excavation, looking for the meaning, logic, and ideas that are embedded in Talmudic legal discourse. Instead, they focused on the Temple as the only important symbol of Jewish identity. If the Bible is the cornerstone of Judaism, then the Talmud is the central pillar, soaring up from the foundations and supporting the entire spiritual and intellectual edifice. Now, not all rabbis actually served as legal authorities. The Talmud is important to Judaism because it is the source of Halakhah (Jewish law). It is the record of rabbinic teachings that spans a period of about six hundred years, beginning in the first century C.E. We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and bring you ads that might interest you. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to "all Jewish thought and aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews. Reprinted with permission from Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts, published by Simon & Schuster. Some used the training in other ways, and some did not use it at all. The Torah is important because it contains written and oral laws central to the religion of Judaism. Why do you think the Talmud is so popular? and continuing through the sixth and seventh centuries C.E. Light the candles every night with our special guests, Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts, Why The Mishnah Is the Best Jewish Book You’ve Never Read. Talmud and Midrash, commentative and interpretative writings that hold a place in the Jewish religious tradition second only to the Bible (Old Testament).. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help. The message this conveys is that we must never limit our own Torah-study to teaching our children. 11:19), “and you shall teach it to them” — namely, your children. Historical relativity in general and text criticism in particular turn out to raise new religious issues, issues that earlier masters of the rabbinic tradition never had to face. It is always assumed that the most important text of Judaism is the Torah. The Talmud, after the Torah, is considered the primary text of Jewish learning. The new types of investigation are not simply “irrelevant” to such a quest; they impede it. The same reason case law is important. The Torah, also called the Jewish bible, contains the Laws of Moses that outline actions and codes of conduct expected of practitioners of the Jewish faith. Pini Dunner is right to say that the Talmud is the most important Jewish Document, because it has caused more agony, death and devastation than anything else in the entire history of the nation. get the best of the algemeiner straight to your inbox! But Talmud study would be helpful even outside the yeshiva world, Steinsaltz believes. The Talmud was Torah. Because Talmud is the study of Jewish jurisprudence. The Talmud revealed God speaking to Israel, and so the Talmud became Israel’s way to God. How can the Talmud reveal the eternal word of God if it turns out to be the work of third- or fourth-century men living in the fading world of Near Eastern antiquity? The Talmud itself does not always state with precision what these rules are to be, and in the nature of things it could not anticipate new situations in which these rules would have to be applied. Many of these can be labeled practical. And when the pendulum eventually swung back in favor of Torah law — as it always did — the nation would be hampered by its inability to correctly interpret the Sinaitic Torah. Thus this basic text uncovered the fullness of God’s revelation to the people of the Covenant. This almost 2,000-year-old text flies under the radar -- but it's immensely important to Jewish life. If the Torah had been confined to the original written text, it would never have survived. In addition to the Talmud there have been important commentaries written about it. They found holiness in their effort to bring rational order to their tradition, and as a result problem solving and disciplined logic became important characteristics of rabbinic discourse. Likewise in Abhodah Zarah, 22b: Mr. — is identical to the root of the Hebrew word for “study.” And the word Otam in the phrase, which refers to the children, appears without the letter “vav,” allowing it to be read Atem (“you”). But while the Sadducees desperately tried to delegitimize Oral Torah as an aberration, they had nothing enduring to offer in exchange. The Talmud is a remarkable compilation of ancient traditions that accompanied the Sinaitic Torah, collectively known as Torah-she’baal-peh, or the “Oral Torah.”. It constitutes the foundation of Jewish law, practice and customs to this very day and forms the core curriculum of Orthodox yeshivas. Their explanations are found scattered throughout Talmudic and especially Midrashic literature. The Talmud provided the means of determining how God wants all Jews to live, in all places, at all times. Which of the following texts contains commentaries on the teachings of Moses? The Talmud also plays an important role in Conservative Judaism, although it is viewed as an evolutionary process that changes with the times. Talya Fishman’s new book, “Becoming the People of the Talmud: Oral Torah as Written Tradition in Medieval Jewish Cultures,” addresses an important aspect of the subject. Archeological Talmud: Digging Deeper – R abbi Ysoscher Katz While the Talmud appears to many to be a book of halakha, it is in reality a book of philosophy—Jewish thought shrouded in Jewish jurisprudence. “A biography of the Talmud--call it a bibliobiography--is welcome. A. This explains why the scroll’s discovery and Josiah’s interaction with Huldah resulted in an extraordinary religious renaissance. While not entirely historically accurate, it’s not meant to be. Among their other intellectual enterprises, the rabbis of antiquity spent a great deal of time reading and explaining the Bible. Definition of terms. Thus study of the Talmud for its law became a chief activity of those in the community who were charged with teaching and enforcing that law. The second part consists of a series of interpretative rules that are used to extract information from the often impenetrable text of the Torah. Jews studied Talmud because the act brought them closer to the divine. There are a number of important books that Jews read in synagogues (Tanakh, Talmud, Siddur, etc. . Photo: National Archives and Records Administration. And, isn’t the Talmud a set of writings by Jewish rabbis collected two hundred years after Yeshua (Jesus) lived? Replacing the Bible as the key book taught in Israel’s schools could help … And if so, why would a Bible-believing Christian care about the insights and comments from Jewish rabbis, scholars, and sages? The Talmud is divided into six general sections, called sedarim (“orders”):Zera’im (“Seeds”), dealing primarily with the agricultural laws, but also the laws of blessings and prayers (contains 11 tractates).Mo’ed (“Festival”), dealing with the laws of the Shabbat and the holidays (contains 12 tractates).Nashim (“Women”), dealing with marriage and divorce (contains 7 tractates).Nezikin (“Damages”), dealing with civil and criminal law, a… First, Exodus 24:4 clearly states that Moshe (Moses) “wrote … This is one of the reasons that Talmud study for many people in the modern world is not a practical activity at all, but rather an important religious experience. The Talmud explicitly sets out an important principle when it comes to halakhic decision making in Berakhot 9a when it states: “Rabbi Shimon is a great enough authority to rely upon in cases of emergency/pressing need.” We find that there are some instances when the minority opinion may be relied on instead of the majority view. The first consists of guidelines associated with laws mentioned in the Torah, whose practice is undefined by the text (such as the shape and color of phylacteries, or the fact that the Omer-offering countdown begins on the second day of Passover rather than the following Sunday). Josiah was confounded by what he read in the scroll, and sent it to Huldah the prophetess to inquire what it meant. In the end, therefore, the act of Talmud study was holy beyond the holiness to be found in the words of the text. The powerful tug of pagan worship, combined with limited Torah knowledge among the people, often resulted in the abandonment of normative Judaism. Of these “practical” reasons, one has already been discussed at some length [in the book Back to the Sources]—the Talmud has been studied in order to extract functioning law from its pages. 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