Books/Texts

Question 1

Tanach

Answer 1

The Hebrew name for the Hebrew Bible, created by the first letter of each of the 3 sections of the Bible: T for Torah, N for Nevi’im, Ch for Ketuvim. Nevi’im = Prophets, Ketuvim = writings. .

Question 2

Talmud

Answer 2

Commentary on all aspects of Jewish life. The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (halakha) and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to “all Jewish thought and aspirations”, serving also as “the guide for the daily life” of Jews.[

The term “Talmud” normally refers to the collection of writings named specifically the Babylonian Talmud , although there is also an earlier collection known as the Jerusalem Talmud.

The Talmud has two components; the Mishnah ( c. 200 CE), a written compendium of the Oral Torah; and the Gemara (c. 500 CE), an elucidation of the Mishnah and related Tannaitic writings that often ventures onto other subjects and expounds broadly on the Hebrew Bible. The term “Talmud” may refer to either the Gemara alone, or the Mishnah and Gemara together.

Question 3

Mishna

Answer 3

The Mishnah (Hebrew: מִשְׁנָה‎, “study by repetition”, from the verb shanah שנה‎, or “to study and review”, also “secondary”) is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah. It is also the first major work of rabbinic literature. The Mishnah was redacted by Judah ha-Nasi at the beginning of the 3rd century CE in a time when, according to the Talmud, the persecution of the Jews and the passage of time raised the possibility that the details of the oral traditions of the Pharisees from the Second Temple period (536 BCE – 70 CE) would be forgotten. Most of the Mishnah is written in Mishnaic Hebrew, but some parts are in Aramaic.

Question 4

Gemara

Answer 4

The Gemara is the part of the Talmud that contains rabbinical commentaries and analysis of its predecessor, the Mishnah, which was studied exhaustively by generation after generation of rabbis in Babylonia and the Land of Israel. Their discussions were written down in the series of books that became the Gemara, which when combined with the Mishnah completes the Talmud.

There are two recensions of the Gemara, one compiled by the scholars of the Land of Israel and completed c. 350-400 C.E., and the other by those of Babylonia completed c. 500 C.E. In general, the terms “Gemara” or “Talmud,” without further qualification, refer to the Babylonian recension.

Question 5

Zohar

Answer 5

The book of splendour, mystical teaching on the five books of the Torah, rich with spiritual inspiration. Attributed to Moses de Leon of Granada (Spain), in 1268.

Question 6

Shulchan Aruch

Answer 6

The Shulchan Aruch ( literally: “Set Table”), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later. Together with its commentaries, it is the most widely accepted compilation of Jewish law ever written.

Question 7

Halacha

Answer 7

Halacha is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halacha is based on biblical commandments (mitzvot), subsequent Talmudic and rabbinic laws, and the customs and traditions which were compiled in the many books such as the Shulchan Aruch. Halacha is often translated as “Jewish law”, although a more literal translation of it might be “the way to behave” or “the way of walking”. The word is derived from the root which means “to behave” (also “to go” or “to walk”). Halacha not only guides religious practices and beliefs, it also guides numerous aspects of day-to-day life.

Question 8

Midrash

Answer 8

Collection of stories, folklore, legends and interpretations about the bible.
2 kinds of Midrashim - Teachings and stories based on and explaining Jewish law (midrash hallchah)
- teachings and stories based on the narrative and ethical parts of the bible (madras Haggadah)
Midrashim flesh out the bible, to make it more understandable and its characters more human. They were created to teach the bible in a simple, folksy way, to tell stories and offer moral lessons.

Question 9

Torah

Answer 9

First 5 books of the Hebrew Bible; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Leviticus = God’s ethical and ritual laws, specific instructions for priests. Numbers = Journey of the children of Israel through the desert, receiving of the 10 commandments and mount Sinai. Deuteronomy = Moses reviews laws, people prepare to enter the Promised Land.
According to tradition, God dictated the entire Torah (except for the very last part of Deuteronomy) to Moses in the Sinai desert.
More liberal interpretation is that it was written by many different people over many years. Writers may have been divinely inspired. Eventually editors put writings together into one book.
The final Torah is widely seen as a product of the Persian period (539–333 BCE, probably 450–350 BCE).

Question 10

Put books in right order

Gemara, Talmud, Tanach, Shulchan Aruch, Halacha Mishnah, Zohar

Answer 10

Tanach 
Mishna - ca 200  CE
Gemara - ca 500 CE
Talmud
Zohar - 14th century CE
Shulchan Aruch - 16th century CE
Halacha