The Talmud is a major text of Rabbinic Judaism, consisting of the Mishnah and Gemara. The Mishnah was written around AD 200 and the Gemara around AD 500, with the latter being a commentary on the former. The Mishnah is organized into six orders, while the Gemara draws connections between the Mishnah, Hebrew Bible, and Jewish oral tradition. The Babylonian Talmud is considered more authoritative than the Jerusalem Talmud. Many Jewish denominations consider the study of the Mishnah and Gemara essential.
The Mishnah and the Gemara are the two components of the Talmud, one of the major texts of Rabbinic Judaism, second only to the Hebrew Bible. The Mishnah was written around AD 200 and based on the earlier Oral Law, while the Gemara was completed around AD 500 and consists of commentaries and elaborations on the Mishnah. Sometimes, the word Talmud is used to refer to the Gemara only, and Shas is used to refer to the Mishnah only or the Mishnah and the Gemara together.
Jewish law and biblical commentary were originally an oral tradition, but after the destruction of the Jewish Commonwealth and the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, Jewish authorities felt the need to create a written version of Jewish laws to ensure their survival. The Mishnah and Gemara, respected for the next five centuries, were the result of this decision. The Mishnah, whose name means “Repetition” in Hebrew, is organized by topics and divided into six orders.
The six orders of the Mishnah are Zeraim or “Seeds”, Moed or “Festival”, Nashim or “Women”, Nezikin or “Danni”, Kodashim or “Holy Things”, and Tohorot or “Purities”. Each order is further subdivided into tractates or masechtot, which in turn are organized into chapters and verses. Rabbis who have contributed to the Mishnah are known as Tannaim.
The Gemara, meaning “Completion” in Hebrew, is a collection of commentaries on the Mishnah. It consists mainly of legal discussions and draws connections between the Mishnah, the Hebrew Bible, and the Baraita or Jewish oral tradition. The Gemara is organized to correspond to the Mishnah, and each section, called a sugya, presents hypotheses and questions related to a section of the Mishnah.
There are two versions of the Gemara. The first, known as the Jerusalem Talmud, was compiled around AD 350-400. The Babylonian Talmud, completed around AD 500, is considered the more authoritative version, and references to the Talmud or Gemara without further qualification can be assumed to indicate the Babylonian version. Rabbis who contributed to the Gemara are known as Amoraim.
The Mishnah and Gemara have been an important part of Jewish religious tradition and studies since their composition. Nowadays, many Jewish denominations consider the study of the Mishnah and Gemara essential. Some denominations, particularly Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, place greater emphasis on the Hebrew Bible and do not encourage reading of the Talmud as strongly as Orthodox and Conservative Jews.
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