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ABOUT RABBINIC LITERATURE/TALMUD(The following is adapted from Jewish Parenting: Rabbinic
Insights, available at www.amazon.com.) Source Date Finished Place Finished Abbreviation Mishnah 200 C.E. The Land of Israel M.+tractate name Tosefta 220-230 C.E. The Land of Israel T.+tractate name Yerushalmi 400 C.E. The Land of Israel Y.+tractate name Midrash 400-500 C.E. The Land of Israel full name used Bavli 427-560 C.E. Babylonia B.+tractate name These Five Works as "People" How do these five different kinds of Rabbinic literature differ from each other? In general, the Mishnah, which was compiled first, contains an outline of how the law given in the written Torah is to be followed. Its contents are more theoretical than practical. Practical details are provided by the Tosefta, the Yerushalmi and the Bavli. The Midrash collections are unique in that they are made up principally of stories, sermons or passages which expound Biblical verses rather than focusing primarily on Jewish law and practice. One way to understand the interrelationship of these Rabbinic writings is to think about them as different personality types. The Mishnah is like a dreamer who's always imagining how things should be rather than thinking about how they are. This sort of person constantly concocts beautiful schemes to organize her life. The only problem is that these dreams don't necessarily correspond with reality. Tosefta is like the Mishnah's more practical friend. When the Mishnah goes off on an idealistic tangent, Tosefta says, "Wait a minute. I don't think that's going to work the way you think it's going to. And what if conditions change? And have you thought of all the consequences?" The Yerushalmi is like Tosefta, only more so. The Yerushalmi listens to the Mishnah and Tosefta and then takes over the conversation, citing statistics and information from a vast library of knowledge. The Yerushalmi may take a long time to come to a decision, but usually it will eventually tell you that, "Yes, the Mishnah's plan will work" or "No, the Mishnah's plan won't work, but Tosefta's might" or "Neither the Mishnah nor the Tosefta have it right. However, I have an answer which I think will work." It is also concerned with preserving the hierarchical social order which it cherishes. The Midrash Collections, which comment on different books of the Bible rather than on the Mishnah, as does the rest of Rabbinic literature, are loners. They're loosely connected to the Mishnah, Tosefta and Yerushalmi and Bavli, but they really go their own way. They're like that one member of a circle of friends who is included, but not terribly attached. And are they into telling stories! The difference between the Mishnah and the Midrash collections is that the Mishnah wants to pretend that her dreams are going to shape reality. The Midrash collections want to tell stories and find meaning and enjoyment in life without necessarily legislating that vision. It's sort of like the difference between an idealistic politician (the Mishnah) and a political commentator (the Midrash Collections): one is into prescribing solutions and the other is into talking about problems and brainstorming ideas. Finally, the Bavli is like the Yerushalmi...and not like the Yerushalmi. Like the Yerushalmi, the Bavli listens to the Mishnah and Tosefta and then takes over the conversation. However, unlike the Yerushalmi, the Bavli isn't so "bottom line" oriented. The Bavli is often more interested in exploring options than determining the one right solution to a problem. The Bavli is not invested in a hierarchical social order and is much more interested in personal freedom of expression. Also, the Bavli loves to tell stories; almost as much as the Midrash collections do. Finally, the Bavli is a bit more talkative than the Yerushalmi--who was already quite talkative. If you ever gathered these five "people" in a room, Mishnah would start the conversation. Next Tosefta would get in a few comments. Then the conversation would be taken over by the Yerushalmi and the Bavli. The Midrash Collections would be over in a corner studying Torah, listening to the conversation and occasionally contributing to it. What we are doing in these weeks of study is contrasting the Mishnah, Yerushalmi and Bavli to give us different perspectives on one story as well as learning more about the characteristics of each document. At the request of one of our e-mail participants, I'm providing an annotated bibliography of sources on the Talmud here. Current Study Passage | Join the Discussion | Maqom Supporters | Individualized Intensive Learning | Annotated Bibliography | Previous Study Passages | A Talmud Tale | Jewish Texts: The Owner's Manual | The Tefillin Gift Shop | Guided Meditations | The Maqom Journal | Art | Links | Home | About Rabbi Abrams Maqom: A Place for the Spiritually Searching admits students
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