Editing Talmud (section)

{{short description|Central text of Rabbinic Judaism}}
{{about|the Babylonian Talmud|the Jerusalem Talmud|Jerusalem Talmud}}
{{redirect|Talmudic|the variety of Aramaic|Jewish Babylonian Aramaic}}
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[[File:Talmud-Druck von Daniel Bomberg und Ambrosius Froben.jpg|thumb|The Talmud on display in the [[Jewish Museum of Switzerland]] brings together parts from the first two Talmud prints by [[Daniel Bomberg]] and [[Ambrosius Frobenius|Ambrosius Froben]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 October 2022 |title=Catrina Langenegger on the Basel Talmud |url=https://www.juedisches-museum.ch/en/provenance-research-is-always-an-adventure/}}</ref>|250x250px]]
{{Rabbinic Literature}}{{Judaism}}
The '''Talmud''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɑ:|l|m|ʊ|d|,_|-|m|ə|d|,_|ˈ|t|æ|l|-}}; {{langx|he|{{Script/Hebrew|תַּלְמוּד}}|Talmūḏ|teaching}}) is the central text of [[Rabbinic Judaism]] and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''[[halakha]]'') and [[Jewish theology]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fishman |first=Talya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXByzyf-mFIC&q=Becoming+the+People+of+the+Talmud |title=Becoming the People of the Talmud: Oral Torah as Written Tradition in Medieval Jewish Cultures |date=2011 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-0-8122-4313-0 |series= |location=}}</ref><ref name="Neusner">{{cite book |author-link=Jacob Neusner |last=Neusner |first=Jacob |title=The Formation of the Babylonian Talmud |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c-lKAwAAQBAJ&q=%22primary+source+for+Jewish+law%22&pg=PR9|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |date=2003 |page=ix |isbn=9781592442195}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Essential Talmud |last=Steinsaltz |first=Adin |author-link=Adin Steinsaltz |isbn=978-0-465-02063-8 |year=1976 |page=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dLxFo4zNEMQC&q=central%20pillar |publisher=BasicBooks}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Steinberg |first1=Paul |last2=Greenstein Potter |first2=Janet |title=Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Fall Holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rbfHFFfxj2MC&q=central%20and%20most%20important%20body|publisher=The Jewish Publication Society |year=2007 |page=42 |isbn=9780827608429}}</ref> Until the advent of [[Haskalah#Effects|modernity]], in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of [[Jewish culture|Jewish cultural life]] and was foundational to "all Jewish thought and aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews.<ref name="Safrai">{{cite book |last=Safrai |first=S.|translator-last=Weidenfeld |translator-first=George |year=1969 |title=A History of the Jewish People |section=The Era of the Mishnah and Talmud (70–640) |editor-last=Ben-Sasson |editor-first=H.H.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2kSovzudhFUC&q=talmud+primary&pg=PA379 |quote=The influence of the Babylonian geonim ... also weighted the scales in favour of the Talmud of their land, which they introduced and taught in all the Diaspora communities of the Middle Ages, as well as in the Land of Israel. Thus the Babylonian Talmud gained primary influence on Jewish history throughout the ages. It became the basic - and in many places almost the exclusive ~ asset of Jewish tradition, the foundation of all Jewish thought and aspirations and the guide for the daily life of the Jew. Other components of national culture were made known only in so far as they were embedded in the Talmud. In almost every period and community until the modern age, the Talmud was the main object of Jewish study and education; all the external conditions and events of life seemed to be but passing incidents, and the only true, permanent reality was that of the Talmud. |publisher=Harvard University Press |publication-date=1976 |page=379 |isbn=9780674397316}}</ref> The Talmud includes the teachings and opinions of thousands of [[rabbi]]s on a variety of subjects, including [[halakha]], [[Jewish ethics]], [[Jewish philosophy|philosophy]], [[Jewish customs|customs]], [[Jewish history|history]], and [[Jewish folklore|folklore]], and many other topics.

The Talmud is a commentary on the [[Mishnah]].{{Efn|The Mishnah is a written compendium of the Oral Torah. 

In this context, the terms 'Talmud' and 'Gemara' are essentially interchangeable.}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brand |first=Ezra |title=Beyond the Mystique: Correcting Common Misconceptions About the Talmud, and Pathways to Accessibility |url=https://www.ezrabrand.com/p/beyond-the-mystique-correcting-common |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=www.ezrabrand.com |language=en}}</ref> This text is made up of 63 [[Masekhet|tractate]]s, each covering one subject area. The language of the Talmud is [[Jewish Babylonian Aramaic]]. Talmudic tradition emerged and was compiled between the destruction of the [[Second Temple]] in 70 CE and the [[Arab conquest]] in the early seventh century.{{sfn|Safrai|1969|p=305, 307}} Traditionally, it is thought that the Talmud itself was compiled by [[Rav Ashi]] and [[Ravina II]] around 500 CE, although it is more likely that this happened in the middle of the sixth century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eisenberg |first=Ronald L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cK72EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT89 |title=What the Rabbis Said: 250 Topics From the Talmud |date=2010 |publisher=Praeger |isbn=978-0-313-38450-9 |location= |pages=43 |oclc=548555671}}</ref>

The word Talmud commonly refers to the '''Babylonian Talmud''' (''Talmud Bavli'') and not the earlier [[Jerusalem Talmud]] ({{transliteration|he|Talmud Yerushalmi}}).<ref>{{cite book |last=Goldberg |first=Abraham |title=The Literature of the Jewish People in the Period of the Second Temple and the Talmud, Volume 3 The Literature of the Sages |publisher=Brill |year=1987 |isbn=9789004275133 |editor-last=Safrai |editor-first=Shmuel |pages=303–322 |chapter=The Palestinian Talmud |doi=10.1163/9789004275133_008}}</ref> The Babylonian Talmud is the more extensive of the two and is considered the more important.<ref name="JacobNeusner">[[Jacob Neusner]], ''The Talmud: What It Is and What It Says'' (2006). Rowman & Littlefield.</ref>