The Oral and Written Torah: A Comprehensive Guide

1. The Written and Oral Torah

Which part of the Torah was always in a written form?

The Written Torah, תורה שבכתב

Which part of the Torah was not committed for public broadcast?

תורה שבעל פה - The Oral Torah

2. Pre-Mishnaic Transmission

What would the leading Torah authority write during each generation prior to the Mishna being organized?

He would make personal notes of the teachings he received from his master, which he then would teach orally to people.

3. Rebi and the Mishna

Who was “Rebi”?

רבי יהודה הנשיא - Rabbi Judah the Prince

What did “Rebi” collect and compose?

All the decisions, laws, interpretations, and explanations that had been heard from Moshe, or that the Sanhedrin innovated. From this material, he composed the Mishna.

Why didn’t Rebi just leave everything the way it was?

Because he perceived that the level of scholarship was waning and that hardships were approaching from the Roman government.

4. The Prohibition Against Writing the Oral Torah

Why was it not permissible to write the Oral Torah?

Since there are many peculiarities in the sentence structure and word formation of the Written Torah, and it contains many hidden meanings and lessons. If it were committed to writing, the possibility of misinterpretation would be likely.

5. The Compilation of the Oral Torah

What caused Rebi and the sages to decide to write the entire Oral Torah?

Since it was a time of עת לעשות - הפרו תורתך - “It is a time to do for Hashem, they breached Your Torah” - the enemies made too many decrees that threatened to sunder the people from Torah learning.

Was there any effort made to compile and arrange Mishanayot before Rebi? By whom?

R’ Yehuda ben Tema and his colleagues

According to R’ Sherira Gaon, who fashioned the six orders of Mishna? According to his opinion, what did Rebi do?

Hillel and Shamai. Rebi only edited and refined them, ultimately producing the work we have today.

6. Understanding the Mishna

Whenever it says in the Mishna “even though they said”, or “and why did they say”, or “because they said” - whom is this referring to?

Reference is being made to these early Mishnayot that were written before רבי יהודה הנשיא.

Rebi Akiva regarded BLANK very fondly.

Rebi Meir

BLANK was the student of BLANK.

R’ Meir was a student of Rebi Akiba

Why did Rebi cite individual opinions that are not followed by Halakha?

So that if one should claim it for support, he can be told that it is a minority opinion and not according to the accepted law.

Often the Gemara comments that a Mishna is a BLANK.

(A)חסורי מיחסרא - Deficient

What does the Gemara intend by stating that the Mishna is “deficient”?

The Gemara does not state that there is a defect in the text; rather, the Gemara is implying that Rebi intentionally deleted that which would otherwise be inferred.

When the גמרא states וכך תנא it is intending to say that

That the תנא of the Mishna left out some words for certain reasons.

The following statement is true

The Mishna was written in the Hebrew language

Rambam attests that Rebi…

Had the clarity of expression and that he was the most gifted in the Hebrew language at the time.

7. The Structure of the Mishna

The Mishna was divided into BLANK orders.

6

The Hebrew word for tractate is

מסכת - Masechet

The Oral Torah is compared to the procedure of

Diluting wine

The following words may explain where the word מסכת was derived from

• (D) From the word מסך - Masach (screen)
• (E) B and C

A מסכת is titled based on

The subject matter. It is taken from the first word of the opening tractate.

What are the six orders of Mishna?

זרעים. מועד. נשים. נזיקין. קדשים. -טהרות

• Zeraim (Seeds)
• Moed (Festivals)
• Nashim (Women)
• Nezikin (Damages)
• Kodshim (Holy Things)
• Tohorot (Purities)

The definition of זרעים is

Seeds

The definition of קדשים is

Consecrated items

The definition of טהרות is

Ritual purities

The definition of נזיקין, is

Damages

Which following tractate is NOT included in סדר זרעים?

• Tahara
• Shabbat

Which following tractate is NOT included in סדר מועד?

• Demai
• Maasrot

Seder קדשים included the following three tractates?

Zavachim, Menachot, Chullin.

8. The Mishna as משנה למלך

The words משנה למלך mean

Deputy to a King

Why are these tractates referred to as משנה?

It is similar to the words משנה למלך, since the Written Torah is the king and the Mishna is subordinate to it.

9. The Sages of the Gemara

The sages of the Gemara are called

אמוראים - Amoraim

בית שמאי lived during the time of the

תנאים - Tannaim

בית הלל lived during the times of the

תנאים - Tannaim

חנניה was an

תנא - Tanna

The meaning of תנא is

Teacher

The definition of an אמורא is

It means “interpreter” in Aramaic.

רבי יהודה הנשיא was considered a

תנא - Tanna

10. Other Important Works

סיפרה and סיפרי were compiled by

רבי חייא - Rabbi Hiyya

What is the purpose of the סיפרא and סיפרי?

To expound and teach the basic principles of the משנה - Mishna

The תוספתא was compiled by

רבי חייא - Rabbi Hiyya

What is the purpose of the תוספתא?

To explain the subject matter of the Mishna

Many ברייתות were written by

בר-קפרא and ר' הושעיא - Bar Kappara and Rabbi Hoshaya

Which two Sages compiled the מכילתא?

ר' ישמעאל and ר' עקיבא - Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Akiva

Was the משנה, סיפרא, סיפרי, תוספתא, ברייתות, מכילתא compiled before or after the Talmud?

Before

11. Aggadah

Define אגדה

Non-legal interpretations of the Torah

Provide an example of Midrashim that fall under אגדה?

מדרש רבה and מדרש תנחומא - Midrash Rabbah and Midrash Tanchuma

The Sages who delved into the אגדה were referred to by their counterparts in what way?

Rabbis of the Aggadah

12. Additional Notes

The סיפרי has 2 volumes on דברים and on במדבר.

מסכתות קטנות are SMALL TRACTATES, and they are also considered ברייתות.

Which מסכתות קטנות were not included in the Talmud?

אבות, סופרים, שמחות, כלה, דרך -ארץ, פרק השלום, ארץ ישראל.

• Avot
• Soferim
• Semachot
• Kallah
• Derech Eretz
• Perek HaShalom
• Eretz Yisrael

13. Identifying Beraitot in the Gemara

Can we recognize when the Gemara quotes a ברייתא? How?

Yes, by the following introductory words

תנו רבנן, תני חדא, תניא אידך, תניא, תנא תונא

How does the Gemara present ברייתות of ר’ אושעיא and ר’ חייא?

תנו רבנן - the Rabbis taught -

14. The Amoraim and the Mishna

All the אמוראים were obligated to know the entire

משנה - Mishna

When does the גמרא ask מאי קא משמע לן - “What is he telling us”?

In a case where the אמורא states or reiterates what was said in the משנה - Mishna.

When the גמרא states “תנן” it is introducing to us a

Mishna

When does the גמרא use the words תנא תונא and תניא to introduce a ברייתא?

Anywhere the גמרא is presenting a Berayta not written by ר’ הושעיא or ר’ חייא - Rabbi Hoshaya or Rabbi Hiyya

15. The Jerusalem Talmud

התלמוד ירושלמי

THE JERUSALEM TALMUD

רבי יוחנן was the disciple of

רבי יהודה הנשיא - Rabbi Judah the Prince

What part of תורה שבעל פה did ר’ יוחנן compile?

The Talmud of Jerusalem

When was the תלמוד ירושלמי compiled?

According to the Rambam, 300 years after the destruction of Bet HaMikdash

Does the ראב”ד agree with the רמב”ם timeline?

No, his calculation is that it was 200 years after the destruction.

How was ר’ יוחנן also known as? How is he referred to in the ירושלמי?

Bar nafcha the son of the blacksmith or Ben hanefach as he was referred to in the Yerushalmi.

רב יוחנן was the brother-in-law of

ריש לקיש - Resh Lakish

Who else did ר’ יוחנן learn under besides for רבי? Where?

He studied under ר’ הושעיא, רבה, ר’ ינאי, רבי חנינא in Caesarea.

When חז”ל state that ר’ יוחנן composed the Yerushalmi and that ר’ אשי composed the Talmud Bavli, what does this mean?

This means that they both initiated and established its foundation to be written and published.

Which four orders of the ירושלמי do we possess today?

זרעים, מועד, נשים, נזיקין - Zeraim, Moed, Nashim, Nezikin

Which parts are missing?

סדר קדשים and סדר טהרות -שבת, מכות, נדה select tractates

• Seder Kodshim and Seder Taharot
• Select tractates from Shabbat, Makkot, Niddah

16. Linguistic Differences Between the Talmuds

Many proper names which in the Babylonian Talmud/תלמוד בבלי end with the letter____, in the majority cases end with the letter ____ in Yerushalmi

Blank 1 א - Aleph

Blank 2 ה - Hei

Provide two examples for the above

עקיבא - in the Bavli

עקיבה - in the Yerushalmi

Other examples:

• חייא - חייה
• אושעיא - הושעיא
• יהודא - יהודה

Which letters seem to be interchangeable in the Talmud Yerushalmi? Provide two examples

א - ה - ח - ע

• חיויא - עויא
• איכן - היכן

In the ירושלמי we find many cases of two adjacent words. Provide three examples

אב מרי - אבמרי, רב אשי - רבשי, רב אמי - רבמי

Do we find contractions in the Talmud Bavli as well? Provide 4 examples

Yes

• רפרם - רב אפרים
• רבינא - רב אבינא
• רבין - רב אבין
• רמי - רב אמי

17. Enigmatic Language in the Jerusalem Talmud

It appears that the Talmud Yerushalmi was intentionally written in ENIGMAS.

According to this assertion, what seems to be the motivating factor of the sages to express themselves in an enigmatic manner?

This was in order to instill a love of Torah in their students since we value our efforts based on achievements, but truly we should value the effort we put into Torah.

What example of an enigma do we find in the לשון of חז”ל in מסכת מעשר שני?

UNKNOWN.