Talmud

From RationalWiki

The Talmud is a collection of commentaries on the Hebrew Bible. Written by the forerunners and early practitioners of Rabbinical Judaism, the Talmud is an immense body of literature written in both Hebrew and Aramaic, and is divided into two sections: the Mishnah, known to mainstream Jews as the Oral Law, and the Gemara, an extensive set of commentaries on the same. Interestingly, the Mishnah are written in Hebrew, and large parts of the Gemara are written in Aramaic (the prevailing language of the Jewish community in the early first millennium CE). There are, technically speaking, two Talmuds -- the earlier Jerusalem or Yerushalmi Talmud (apparently incomplete due to Roman interference in Jewish religious structure in 425 CE) and the later Babylonian or Bavli Talmud (the one more studied due to the larger Jewish community in Babylon).

The exact status of the Talmud as a holy book is much debated. It is the foundation of modern Judaism, since its extensive commentaries represent the work done to adapt the Tanakh to contemporary life. However, its status as scripture (especially as regards the Oral Law) depends a great deal on which Jewish group is being asked. Orthodox Jews consider Mishnah to be on the same level as the Torah, believing it was delivered at the same time as the Torah; however, more liberal Jewish groups do not necessarily accept this, and some groups (particularly isolated African Jewish sects) never had the Oral Law to begin with, bringing the traditional view into question.

The Talmud is considered a work of great complexity and sophistication, and has much to say on a great number of subjects. As such, it is central to Jewish religious education even in liberal Jewish groups and its study in yeshiva (i.e. seminary) is considered one of the highest duties of the educated orthodox Jew. By the same token, however, much of its writing (particularly that written to defend Judaism against Christian theology and the Jewish people against a hostile world) is cherry-picked by antisemites as a defense for their hatred and paranoia. Rest assured that such people probably know the Talmud no better than they know the Qur'an.