Common knowledge

Question 1

What is the difference between פה שבעל תורה and שבכתב תורה?

Answer 1

TSBC–>written commandments + history book, groundwork for commentaries and such, given to Moshe @ Sinai, originally had details–>forgotten and reconstituted
TSBP–>orally given to Moshe at Sinai, fills in halachic gaps

Question 2

Who compiled the משנה ?When? Why?

Answer 2

R Yehuda HaNasi –> 200 CE so he can give it to his students, Rav + Shmuel and pass it on in their two yeshivas in Bavel, etc…

Question 3

What are the six sections of the משנה ?Please list each one and give a one-line summary of
what it’s about.

Answer 3

זרעים--agriculture
מועד--holidays
נשים--marriage/divorce (holds Kiddushin)
נזיקין--damages/courts
קדשים--korbanot/BHMK
טהרות--purity and tum'a

Question 4

Torah legacy

Answer 4

Moshe–>Yehoshua–>Zekainim–>Neviim–>Anshei Knesset HaGedolah–>(unsure from here but) tanaim–>amoraim–>סבוראים–>geonim–>rishonim–>achronim

Question 5

Moshe + Yehoshua

Answer 5

M appointed Y who had to learn and pass down all Torah while leading.

Question 6

Zekainim

Answer 6

elders, disciples of M+Y

Question 7

How did the transition from Neviim–>Anshei Knesset HaGedolah happen?

Answer 7

oral torah wasn’t working, 1st BHMK destroyed, then galut in bavel so they can return to Israel but most remain in Bavel. 2nd BHMK built, no more prophecy. instead led by chachamim –> anshei knesset haGedolah –>

Question 8

Anshei Knesset HaGedolah composition and legacy

Answer 8

last neviim and first chachamim
additional takanot and gzerot, mitzvot drabanan
over generations gets narrowed down to a few leaders

Question 9

how was the 2nd bhmk destroyed? what happened to Torah?

Answer 9

Romans attack Jews and destroy 2nd BHMK; center of Torah moves to Yavneh but in 138 they try to overthrow romans–many Jews killed. Torah learning suffers and many return to Bavel. R Yehuda HaNasi reacts w Mishna.

Question 10

What is a ברייתא?

Answer 10

tanaitic source not included in mishna

Question 11

ברייתא composition

Answer 11

Midrash Halacha and tosefta

Question 12

Midrash Halacha + composition

Answer 12

all psukim, halachot and mitzvot from midrash
divided into 3
Michilta-->bereshit, shemot
Sifra/Torat Kohanim-->Vayikra
Sifrei-->Bamidbar + Devarim

Question 13

Tosefta

Answer 13

collections of Baraitot organized similarly to Mishna

Question 14

What is a תנא ?What is an אמורא?

Answer 14

תנא–all teachers of Torah until R Yehuda HaNasi, referred to as Rabi (unbroken authority chain)
אמורא–> everyone afterward including Gemara people, referred to as Rav (no semicha in Bavel)

Question 15

Rav

Answer 15

R Yehuda HaNasi’s student, either last Tana or first Amorah

Question 16

What is a מימרא?

Answer 16

something an amorah said, turns into a well compiled book and edited for consistency (tanu rabanan and b’chtiv)

Question 17

Sura and Pumbedita

Answer 17

two main yeshivot

Question 18

What is the דגמרא סתמא?

Answer 18

dialect of Gemara, makes it flow (=editors put in narrative)

Question 19

Which אמוראים began the formal process of compiling the גמרא?

Answer 19

R Ashi and Ravina take all traditions and convos from Sura and Pumbedita and compile/begin writing them down
500-700 CE ish

Question 20

Who are the סבוראים?

Answer 20

editors and opinions that helped after Talmud originally written down

Question 21

Talmud Yerushalmi

Answer 21

process had already ended in 400 CE in Israel but not nearly as well edited or copied over and not many learn it bc it’s v messy and difficult

Question 22

Geonim

Answer 22

post סבוראים
700-1040
leaders of Sura (which is still going!)
invent שו׳׳ת and explain according to Gemara

Question 23

שו׳׳ת

Answer 23

שאלות ותשובות

question and answer style learning dear abby style invented by geonim

Question 24

Rishonim

Answer 24

after 1040, split btwn Ashkenaz and Sephardim (fun fact: I always wanted to be Sephard bc kitniyot and generally better food)
wrote שו׳׳ת and commentaries on Tanach and Gemara
invented codes

Question 25

codes

Answer 25

major source in deciding halacha—highly organized bottom line halacha

Question 26

רי׳׳ף

Answer 26

R Yitzchak Alfasi starts codes 1013–1103

Question 27

Who is the Rambam include his full name)? When did he live? What major halakhic work did
he write? How many sections does it have?

Answer 27

R Moshe b Maimon
wrote first real code–Mishna Torah, 14 parts
1135-1204
(lol what about Moreh Nevuchim??)

Question 28

What is the טור ?Who wrote it?

Answer 28

codes only about practical halacha for the time pd organized into 4 parts
R Yaakov b Asher, רא׳׳ש
1269-1343

Question 29

R Yosef Karo

Answer 29

wrote the code שולחן ערוך and Beit Yosef (a commentary on the Tur)
1488-1575
either last Rishon or first Acharon

Question 30

Shulchan Aruch/Tur sections and summaries

published year…

Answer 30

אורח חיים––timeline of day/year
יורה דעה--   איסור והתר
אבן העזר -- marriage and divorce 
חושן משפט -- court/monetary law 
published 1563

Question 31

Who is the רמ׳׳א) include his full name)? What did he write?

Answer 31

R Moshe Isserles
wrote a code for Ashkenaz halacha 
comments differences for Ashkenaz
1520-1572
הגה are the words by which he's always introduced

Question 32

What is the משנה ברורה ?Who wrote it?

Answer 32

modern day piskei halacha and commentary on Orach Chaim (Shulchan Aruch) by R Yisrael Meir Kagan (aka Chofetz Chaim, name of a different one of his sefarim)
pub. 1904

Question 33

אחרונים

Answer 33

שו׳׳ת and commentaries on Gemara, analysis of Rishonim (supercommentaries), Torah commentaries