Talmud

TALMUD, the great Rabbinical thesaurus which grew up during the first four or six centuries of the Christian Era, and, with the Old Testament, became the " Bible " of the Jews, and the chief subject of their subsequent literary activity. i. Contents. — The Talmud (Hebrew " teaching, learning ") consists of the Mishnah (Heb. " [oral] repetition, teaching "), a systematic collection of religious-legal decisions developing the laws of the Old Testament, and the Gemara (Aramaic " completion, decision," or perhaps also " teaching "), supplementary material, legal and otherwise.1 The whole was in two great recensions, Palestinian and Babylonian. Other material related to the Mishnah is preserved in the Tosephta (Aram. " addition ") and the Midrashlm, and since all these, together with the Targumim, represent the orthodox Rabbinical literature connecting the Old Testament with medieval and modern Judaism, the reader should also consult the articles JEWS (parts ii. and iii.), MIDRASH, TARGUM, and for more detailed and critical treatment the references given to the Jewish Encyclopedia.

'Mishnah stands in contrast to Miqra ("reading, scripture"); its Aram, equivalent is Mathnltha, from tena, " to repeat,' whence the appellation Tanna, " teacher " (§ 3 below). These and the terms Gemara, Talmud, &c., are more fully explained in H. L. Strack's invaluable Einleitung in den Talmud (Leipzig, 1908), pp. 2 sqq. The Mishnah is a more or less careful arrangement of the extant Oral Law (see § 2). It forms the foundation of the Gemara, and is divided into six SUddrim or Orders, each containing a number of Massektoth (" weavings," cf. the etymology of " text ") or Tractates. These are subdivided into Peraqim (" sections ") or chapters, and these again into paragraphs or sentences. I. Zera'im (" seeds "), the first Order, on agriculture, is introduced by (i) Berakoth (" blessings "), on daily and other prayers and blessings. (2) Pe'ah (" corner "), deals with Lev. xix. 9 seq., xxiii. 22; Deut. xxiv. 19-22, and the rights of the poor. (3) Demai, or rather Dammai (" doubtful "), on doubtful cases relating to the tithing of fruit offerings. (4) Kil'ayim (" of two sorts "), on forbidden mixtures (Lev. xix. 19; Deut. xxii. 9-11). (5) SheWith (" seventh "), on the sabbatical year (Ex. xxiii. II ; Lev. xxv. 1-8; Deut. xv. I sqq.).

(6) Terumoth (" heave offerings "), on the laws in Num. xviii. 8 sqq., 25 seq. ; Deut. xviii. 4, (7) Ma'asroth (" tithes ") or Ma'aser Ri'shon (" first tithe "), with reference to the Levites, Num. xviii. 21-24. (8) Ma'aser Sheni (" second tithe "), with reference to the tithe eaten at Jerusalem, Deut. xiv. 22-26. (9) Hallah ("cake"), on Num. xv. 18-21. (10) 'Orlah ("foreskin" [of trees]), on Lev. xix. 23-25. (n) Bikkurlm ("first-fruits"), on Ex. xxiii. 19; Deut. xxvi. I sqq. The fourth chapter of this treatise, printed in most editions, :s properly a Baraitha. II. Mo ed (" festival "). (i) Shabbath, on the Sabbath as a day of rest, Ex. xx. ip, xxiii. 12; Deut. v. 14, &c. (useful edition by Strack, 1890). (2) 'Erubin (" mixtures " or amalgamations), on legitimate methods of avoiding inconvenient restrictions on the Sabbath. (3) Pesalnm (" passovers " — sacrifices and meals), on Ex. xii., xiii. 6-8, xxiii. 15; Lev. xxiii. 5 sqq.; Num. xxviii. 1 6 sqq.; Deut. xvi. I sqq., &c. (4) SheqaMm ("shekels"), on the poll tax (Ex. xxx. 12 sqq.; Neh. x. 33). (5) Yoma (Aram. " the day "), or Kippurlm (" atonement "), or Y. ha-k. (" the day of atonement "), on Lev. xvi., xxiii. 26-32 (useful edition by H. L. Strack, Leipzig, 1904).

(6) Sukkah or Sukkoth (" booth[s] ' ), on Lev. xxiii. 34 sqq.; Num. xxix. 12 sqq.; Deut. xvi. 13-16. (7) Be^ah ("egg," the opening word) or Yom tab (" good [i.e. feast] day "), general rules for feastdays. (8) Rosh ha-Sh&nah (" New Year festival "), on the services, the calendar, and more particularly on the first of the Seventh Month (cf. Num. x. 10, xxviii. II sqq., &c.). (9) Ta'anilh or Ta'aniyyoth, i.e. " fast[s]," special observances relating thereunto; in particular to public fasts appointed in time of drought. (10) Megillah, " roll " (of Esther), the reading of it at Purim, &c. (11) Mc'ed qa(dn (" the small M," to distinguish it from the name of this order), or Mashkln (the first word), regulations for the intermediate festivals at Passover and Tabernacles. (12) Hagigah (" festival "), on the three principal festivals, Deut. xvi. 16, the duty of pilgrims and the defilements to be avoided (transl. from Bab. Talm. by A. W. Streane, Camb., 1891).