Oral law in Judaism

Rabbinic Judaism holds that the books of the Tanakh (The Old Testament) were transmitted in parallel with an oral tradition, as relayed by the scholarly and other religious leaders of each generation. The "written law" (Torah she-bi-khtav תורה שבכתב) comprises the Torah and the rest of the Tanakh; the "Oral Law" (Torah she-be'al peh תורה שבעל תורה) was ultimately recorded in the Talmud and Midrash. The interpretation of the Oral Law is thus considered as the authoritative reading of the Written Law. Further ...

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Oral law, Oral law - Oral law in jurisprudence, Oral law - Oral law in Judaism

Read more here: » Oral law: Encyclopedia II - Oral law - Oral law in Judaism

The Gemara (גמרא - from gamar: Hebrew "[to] complete"; Aramaic "[to] study") is a component of the Talmud, comprising the rabbinical commentaries and analysis on the Mishnah, undertaken in Babylon. During the centuries following Rabbi Judah's editing of the Mishna, it was studied exhaustively by generation after generation of rabbis. Eventually, some of these rabbis wrote down their discussions and commentaries on the Mishna's laws in a series of books known as the Talmud. The rabbis of Palestine edited their discuss ...

Including:

• Gemara - Gemara and Mishnah
• Gemara - The Sugya
• Gemara - Argumentation and debate
• Gemara - Prooftexts
• Gemara - Questions

Read more here: » Gemara: Encyclopedia - Gemara

The distinctive character of the gemara derives largely from the intricate use of argumentation and debate, described above. In each sugya, either participant may cite scriptural, Mishnaic and Amoraic proof to build a logical support for their respective opinions. The process of deduction required to derive a conclusion from a prooftext is often logically complex and indirect. "Confronted with a statement on any subject, the Talmudic student will proceed to raise a series of questions before he satisfies himself of having under ...

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Gemara, Gemara - Gemara and Mishnah, Gemara - The Sugya, Gemara - Argumentation and debate, Gemara - Prooftexts, Gemara - Questions

Read more here: » Gemara: Encyclopedia II - Gemara - Argumentation and debate

The Gemara and the Mishnah together make up the Talmud. The Talmud thus comprises two components: the Mishnah - the core text; and the gemara - analysis and commentary which “completes” the Talmud (from gamar גמר,: Hebrew "[to] complete"; Aramaic "[to] study"); see Structure of the Talmud. The rabbis of the Mishnah are known as Tannaim (sing. Tanna תנא). The rabbis of the Gemara are referred to as See also:

Gemara, Gemara - Gemara and Mishnah, Gemara - The Sugya, Gemara - Argumentation and debate, Gemara - Prooftexts, Gemara - Questions

Read more here: » Gemara: Encyclopedia II - Gemara - Gemara and Mishnah

The analysis of the Amoraim is generally focused on clarifying the positions, words and views of the Tannaim. These debates and exchanges form the "building-blocks" of the gemara; the name for a passage of gemara is a sugya (סוגיא; plural sugyot). A sugya will typically comprise a detailed proof-based elaboration of the Mishna. Every aspect of the Mishnaic text is treated as a subject of close investigation. This analysis is aimed at an exhaustive ...

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Gemara, Gemara - Gemara and Mishnah, Gemara - The Sugya, Gemara - Argumentation and debate, Gemara - Prooftexts, Gemara - Questions

Read more here: » Gemara: Encyclopedia II - Gemara - The Sugya

Tanakh [תנ״ך] (also Tanach or Tenach) is an acronym that identifies the Hebrew Bible. The acronym is based on the initial Hebrew letters of each of the text's three parts: Torah [תורה] meaning one or all of: "The Law"; "Teaching"; "Instruction". Also called the Chumash [חומש] meaning: "The five"; "The five books of Moses". It is the "Pentateuch". Nevi'im [נביאים] meaning: "Prophets" Ketuvim [כתובים ...

Including:

• Tanakh - Terminology
• Tanakh - The canon
• Tanakh - Books of the Tanakh
• Tanakh - Chapters and verse numbers book divisions
• Tanakh - Oral Torah
• Tanakh - Available texts

Read more here: » Tanakh: Encyclopedia - Tanakh

Masorah or Mesora, (Hebrew מסורה) refers either to the transmission of a (religious) tradition, or to the tradition itself. In a broad sense the term can refer to the entire chain of Jewish tradition: see Oral law in Judaism. In a narrow sense the term refers to the tradition of the Masoretes used in determining the precise text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible): see Masoretic Text. Other possible meanings: "Masorti Judaism" is the name used for Conservative Judaism in the Stat

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The Hebrew text originally consisted only of consonants, together with some inconsistently applied letters used as vowels (matres lectionis). During the early middle ages, the Masoretes codified the oral tradition for reading the Tanakh by adding two special kinds of symbols to the text: niqud (vowel points) and cantillation signs. The latter indicate syntax, stress (accentuation), and the melody for reading. The books of the Torah have generally-used names which are based on the first prominent word in each book. The En ...

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Tanakh, Tanakh - Terminology, Tanakh - The canon, Tanakh - Books of the Tanakh, Tanakh - Chapters and verse numbers book divisions, Tanakh - Oral Torah, Tanakh - Available texts

Read more here: » Tanakh: Encyclopedia II - Tanakh - Books of the Tanakh

The chapter divisions and verse numbers have no significance in the Jewish tradition. Nevertheless, they are noted in all modern editions of the Tanakh so that verses may be located and cited. The division of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles into parts I and II is also indicated on each page of those books in order to prevent confusion about whether a chapter number is from part I or II, since the chapter numbering for th ...

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Tanakh, Tanakh - Terminology, Tanakh - The canon, Tanakh - Books of the Tanakh, Tanakh - Chapters and verse numbers, book divisions, Tanakh - Oral Torah, Tanakh - Available texts

Read more here: » Tanakh: Encyclopedia II - Tanakh - Chapters and verse numbers, book divisions

According to the Jewish tradition, the Tanakh consists of twenty-four books (enumerated below). The Torah has five books, Nevi'im contains eight books, and Ketuvim has eleven. These twenty-four books are the same books found in the Protestant Old Testament, but the order of the books is different. The enumeration differs as well: Christians count these books as thirty-nine, not twenty-four. This is because Jews often count as a single book what Christians count as several. As such, one may draw a technical distinction between t ...

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Tanakh, Tanakh - Terminology, Tanakh - The canon, Tanakh - Books of the Tanakh, Tanakh - Chapters and verse numbers book divisions, Tanakh - Oral Torah, Tanakh - Available texts

Read more here: » Tanakh: Encyclopedia II - Tanakh - The canon

The threefold division reflected in the acronym Tanakh is well attested to in documents from the Second Temple period and in Rabbinic literature. During that period, however, the acronym Tanakh was not used; rather, the proper term was Mikra ("Reading"). The term Mikra continues to be used to this day alongside Tanakh to refer to the Hebrew scriptures. (In modern spoken Hebrew, Mikra has a m ...

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Tanakh, Tanakh - Terminology, Tanakh - The canon, Tanakh - Books of the Tanakh, Tanakh - Chapters and verse numbers book divisions, Tanakh - Oral Torah, Tanakh - Available texts

Read more here: » Tanakh: Encyclopedia II - Tanakh - Terminology

The chapter divisions and verse numbers have no significance in the Jewish tradition. Nevertheless, they are noted in all modern editions of the Tanakh so that verses may be located and cited. The division of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles into parts I and II is also indicated on each page of those books in order to prevent confusion about whether a chapter number is from part I or II, since the chapter numbering for the ...

See also:

Tanakh, Tanakh - Terminology, Tanakh - The canon, Tanakh - Books of the Tanakh, Tanakh - Chapters and verse numbers book divisions, Tanakh - Oral Torah, Tanakh - Available texts

Read more here: » Tanakh: Encyclopedia II - Tanakh - Chapters and verse numbers book divisions