Rab Lit Glossary Review for Midterm Flashcards
Amoriac Literature
- Rabbinic literature written between the third and fifth centuries CE (although some of the literature also contains writing from later time periods)
- Amoraic is derived from the Aramaic word, “אמורא,” meaning teacher
Babylonian Talmud (Bavli)
- Redacted in circa. 6th/7th century
- in conversation with Mishnah but not commentary on; and does not cover two sederim: Zera’im and Teharot
- Considered one of the most important texts in rabbinic literature
- encyclopedic nature
- Covers a wide variety of topics including medicine, mathematics, astronomy, astrology
- the Babylonian Talmud differs from the Palestinian Talmud in-depth and detail. The Babylonian Talmud often offers more detail, perhaps hinting at a longer editing time
גזירה שוה
- A lexical comparison of two passages that contain the same word, phrase, root, or form
- The comparison is made to:
1. Clarify the meaning of one passage by comparing its use in another passage where the word, phrase, root, or form is clearer
2. Apply a halakhah derived from one passage to another
Halakha
- Halakha is a total of all the Jewish laws that have developed over and since biblical times.
- These laws regulate interpersonal behavior, religious behavior, and daily life.
- There are 5 components of Halakha, not all equal in value: written laws, traditional laws handed down, oral law, scribes, customs.
Lamah ne’emar / Mah talmud lomar
- Literally: Why was this word or phrase stated?
- This phrase appears either explicitly or implicitly on every page of Talmud. This is the core question that the Rabbis (drashanot) are answering.
- Midrashicly: What does the specific word, phrase or pre-fix in the Torah text teach us that is not obvious on first glance? If it is a repeated phrase, what new meaning does each repetition create?
- The underlying assumption embedded in the question is that every word in the Torah is placed there with meaning. The implied goal of the interpreter is to illuminate the Divine meaning for each particular word, phrase or letter.
Midrash Aggadah (אַגָּדָה)
- Rabbinic biblical exegesis of a non-legal, often narrative variety.
- mainly associated with the Amoraic period, though some passages of Tannaitic midrash are aggadic in nature.
- Aggadah is associated with folklore.
- אַגָּדָה comes from the shoresh נגד.
Midrash halakhah
- Midrash Halakha refers to a closed set of texts: Mekhilta de-Rabbi Yishmael, Sifra, Sifre Be-Midbar, and Sifre Devarim;
- but is also used as an overarching term for all forms of exegesis, even the above texts
- focuses on “biblical exegesis” (interpretation/explanation of the text) with the goal to codify legal ideas/decisions based on Torah, either implicitly or explicitly.
- While it is largely about legal discussion and interpretation, some of these books have almost 50% of the text is entirely non-legal discussion (aggadic).
- There are a variety of versions and editions of Midrash Halakha, and none is more authoritative than the others.
Mishnah
- oldest “rabbinic compilation”
- “Mishnah” comes from the Hebrew root meaning “to repeat.”
- Redaction is attributed to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi around the year 220 CE
There are 3 orders (books):
- Zeraim (seeds –> agricultural law)
- Moed (festivals and Shabbat)
- Nashim (laws regarding women, marriage and divorce)
- Nezikin (damages –> civil law)
- Kodashim (holy things –> laws re:Temple)
- Tehorot (im/purities)
seder -> masechet -> perek (chapter) -> Mishnah
- The Mishnah was designed for oral recitation and transmission - lots of repetition, parallelism, etc.
פלוני
a fictitious name used in discussing hypothetical situations
shome’a ani
- literally means “Do I hear…?”
- translated colloquially as “I might hear…”
used when a rabbi offers an explanation only to reject it later
Stam
- a stam is an anonymous attribution (while - most rabbinic literature is attributed to a specific rabbi or to a rabbinic school of thought)
- in Mishnah: the unanimous decisions is attributed to the Stam, left unnamed
- sometimes attribution is granted in later texts
- (In the Talmud: the Stammaites continued to add to Talmud as well as mnuemonic devises and interpretive glosses even after its first redaction)
Tannaitic Literature
- material by Tannaim (rabbis of this period) between 70 CE and 220 CE
- All Tannaitic literature was composed in Palestine in Hebrew with occasional words borrowed from other languages.
- all tannaic lit is exegetical in nature
includes: Mishna, Tosefta, Baraitot, Mishna Halakhah, and Aggadah,
Tosefta
- Comes from the aramaic for “addition”
- Thematic compilation of tanaitic literary traditions, four times larger than the Mishnah
- a supplement to the Mishnah:
- -Quotes the mishnah verbatim
- -Compliments and adds to the mishnah’s conent without explicitly quoting it
- Contains independent statements that do not reply on the Mishnah
- Important to analyze every Mishnah-Tosefta parallel on their own in order to determine the relationship between the traditions in each corpus.
yakhol
- literally means “Could it be…?”
- sets up proposal “could you say that / could it be said that” which sets up a proposal that is then refuted by (evidence from scripture) Talmud Lomar.
yitur lashon
- Literally “excessive (too much) tongue.”
- refers to superfluities in language – repetition, extra words and extra letters.
- Every word in the Torah is intention with no mistakes, no redundancies.
- yitur lashon is primary motivator of midrash halachah
אויב
enemy
אין לי אלא
- literally: I have only…
- paired with:
אין לי אלא א’… ב’ מנין? תלמוד לומר
meaning:
I have only א… where is ב from? The Torah says… - Meaning: the text appears to only offer support for a single conclusion, while the commentator has derived additional conclusions that appear to lack support.
- used to direct attention to additional supporting texts or hooks that support the additional conclusions
אלא
- points out a contrast, depends on context
- But, rather (Not X, but rather Y)
- When used with a negative like “לא”: Except for, only
אַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס
Frank/Jastrow: “hermaphrodite; a person who has reproductive organs of both sexes.”
- 1 of 6 genders that the rabbis mention in the Talmud.
אתה אומר…או אינו אלא
Literally: Do you say…, or perhaps it is really…?
- Used in Midrash halakha after quoting one biblical interpretation, it presents an alternative but ultimately the first is chosen.
- Technical term
בל קורס נבו
The name of a god, or more than one god.
גר
- a stranger, especially a convert in Rabbinic context
דְּמֵי
- Value
- Money
- The root is dam / blood, this is different than damei which is about comparison.
הוֹאִיל ו
since; that since; since we know
הונאה
oppression
החייב
literally: one who is obligated
/ guilty
- in Temple times: for sin-offering
- post-Temple: in participation of mitzvot
הכה
Here, in this case, now
הכתוב
- Literally the writings
- Refers to the tanakh, both as a source of a quote or as a source of judgment and law
הלוה
Lent
הַמִית
capital punishment
הקיש
- He compared; he drew an analogy–>
usually making a comparison between to texts from Torah as they are in juxtaposition with one another
הרי
Look here, here it is
look at this, consider [another case]
וכי
- “rather”
- Introduces a rhetorical question
זה/זו/זהו/זוהי
Masc. Sing. [זה] and [זהו]
Fem. Sing. [זו] and [זוהי]
These words all mean ‘this.’ It functions technically to make reference and draw equivalence–this is; this refers to; this is equivalent to; etc.
[זהו] and [זוהי] are often used in equations and definitions.
זהיר
strictly observant
חביב
Beloved
חוצה לארץ
Outside of the land of Palestine (Israel), foreign territory.
חייב
- Obligated or liable.
- both in the sense of obligated to carry out a mitzvah as well as guilty or liable for damages in a civil case.
It is the counterpart of פטור, which means exempt.
חֻמְרֵי
the strictest version of…
As in, burdens of ritual practice, laws, strictnesses… Things you are required to do by religious law.
חרשא
a D/deaf person
טוּמְטוּם
- a person whose genitals are hidden, or underdeveloped; one whose sex is unknown.
- queer / intersex / trans people
יצא
literally: to go out/forth (v)
halakhically: to be excluded; exempt
–> to be excluded from the obligation, or to have completed your obligation for X
כלל
a general rule or principle to be followed in most cases
לְהוֹרָאָה
Hiphil of [ירה]—deciscion, instruction; teacher’s or judge’s office
לפיכך
“therefore”
expresses a causal relationship between two clauses. When the causality is not clear, the Talmud questions the appropriateness of the word.
לְפִי שֶנֶּאֱמַר
“according to that which was said”
לְפִי שֶ = because
Used to indicate that the authors are in favor of the arguments reasoning and that it taken as common sense
מה… אף
- “Just as… so too…”
- used as a parallel between two cases
ex. “Just as is such-and-such in case A, so too is the law in case B.”
מה תלמוד לומר
- “What teaching does the text convey?”
- The question is followed by an interpretation of the word that explains why it is not superfluous
מום
defect
מזידין
- Acting intentionally, deliberately, premeditated, etc. with or those who act in that manner.
מכאן
Hence, therefore.
מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ
From here they stated
מכה
corporal punishment / lashes ordered by a court
מִכָּל מָקוֹם
(1) in any event; in any case; nevertheless or (2) in any manner; in all circumstances. (the dependent piece of Torah expands the scope of the halakhic category
ממון
money
ממש
noun: substance or reality
adverbial usage: really or literally
מִנַּיִין/מִנַּיִן
From where [is it derived]?
- Sets up a question about where an idea/argument is found in Tanakh
מעלה עליו כאלו
- “The torah regards him as if”
- Used to apply the logic used in one situation to another situation.
מערימין
Acting deceptively
מִפְּנֵי שֶׁ
- Because
- for the sake of, on account of
מצינו
- “We found”
- וכן - is often part of this suitcase but not required
מריבה
fight/argument
משומד
apostate
משמע
the plain meaning of the pasuk, often used in the phrase במשמע
נהג
“To lead” or “to conduct”.
נמצא
- “It was found”, “it was discovered”, “it turned out”, “he concluded”
- technical term used to indicate that information was learned or uncovered
סיאור/סור
its original condition, the source of a thing
פטור
- Exempt from punishment or responsibility
- This is the counterpart to חייב, liable.
קטן
a minor
- considered to lack agency; usually 12-13ish
קל וחומר
- leniency and strictness, or alternately, simple and complex
- A logical inference in halakhic reasoning that a ruling on a case of lesser consequence may be applied to a case of greater consequence. If it holds true in this case in which the stakes are low, then it must hold true in this other case where the stakes are higher or the issue more complex. Conclusions are also drawn in the opposite direction depending on the issue.
- May also be translated as ‘all the more so’
שוגג
(noun) the unintended wrongdoing
שוטה
A “madman,” “fool,” or someone who exhibits “the symptoms of insanity.”
Often used with חרש and קטן to refer to a group of people who lack agency in some way.
תלְמוּד לוֹמַר
“The (biblical) teaching says” or “The verse states.”
- Expression used before a biblical citation.
