The Rabbis and their Literature Part I – Historical Background

King David - 1000BCE 1 Samuel 16:12

Destruction of Temple I 586 BCE by Nebuchadnezzar

Cyrus the Great conquers the Babylonians and permits the Jews to return to Israel and rebuilt the Temple 539BCE

Building of Temple II 516 BCE under Zerubabel

Purim Story – under Persians

Alexander the Great http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQfBinQwPGs&feature=email

Hanukah Story – 164 BCE

Destruction of Temple II – 70 CE

Arch of Titus

Rabbis Reconvene at Yavneh after 70 CE

Bar Kokhba Revolt - 132 CE Front: Trumpets. "לחרות ירושלים" Other coins include Eleazar the priest, a second Messianic figure. Perhaps R. Eleazar Hamoda’i. Front: Trumpets. "לחרות ירושלים" Back: Lyre. "ש[נה] ב לחר[ות] ישראל"

Texts and Time Periods 1000BCE King David 586 BCE Destruction of Temple I 539 BCE Cyrus the Great – Persian rule 516 BCE Second Temple Built 332 BCE Alexander the Great – Greek rule 164 BCE Maccabean Revolt 150BCE-70CE Pharisees 70 CE Second Temple Destroyed 132 CE Bar Kokhba Revolt 50-200 CE Tannaitic Period 220 CE Mishnah & Tannaitic Midrash Compiled 200-500 CE Amoraic Period 400 CE Yerushalmi & Amoraic Midrash Compiled 500-700 CE Savoraim in Babylonia 600 CE Bavli Completed

Rabbinic Texts Tannaitic Mishnah Midrashim Tosefta 200CE Talmud Yerushalmi 400CE Amoraic Midrashim Talmud Bavli 600CE See https://fc.gannacademy.org/gannopedia/genremap/rlgenremaphebrew.html

Generations of Tannaim 1 40-80CE Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai's generation 2 80-110 Rabban Gamliel of Yavneh, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua's generation, the teachers of Rabbi Akiva. 3 110-135 The generation of Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues, R. Ishmael. 4 135-170 The generation of Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehuda and their colleagues. Live in Usha. 5 170-200 Rabbi Judah haNasi's generation

Tannaitic Midrash רבי עקיבא רבי ישמעאל ------ בראשית מכילתא דרבי שמעון בר יוחאי מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל שמות ספרא (רק קטעים) ויקרא ספרי זוטא ספרי במדבר מדרש תנאים דברים

Why is it called the “Mishnah”? The Hebrew root "ShNH" means "to repeat," (ושננתם לבניך) and refers to memorization by repetition. "Mishnah" therefore has the sense of "that which is memorized by rote," as distinct from the Rabbinic designation for the Bible: "Miqra,"that which is read and recited from a written text. The Jewish sages whose statements are quoted in the Mishnah are known as Tanna'im (singular: "Tanna"), derived from the Aramaic root related to the Hebrew "ShNH". The era in which the Mishnah was developed is therefore referred to as the "Tanna'itic" era.

“Our” Mishnah On the Talmud page, the passages from the Mishnah (for which the Talmud serves as a commentary) are introduced with the abbreviation "MTNY'," short for the Aramaic “Matnitin," "our mishnah." It is customary for the Babylonian Talmud to refer to "our Mishnah" (or: We learned), to distinguish it from other, "external," mishnahs, referred to in Aramaic as "baraita.“ Some of the bataitot are collected in the Tosefta.

When were the contents of the Mishnah was composed? There are traditions in the Mishnah that claim to go back before the fifth century B.C.E. (the "Great Assembly"; cf. Nehemiah 8-10), as well as a few additions from as late as the mid-third century C.E. However, the main body of the Mishnah consists of teachings attributed to authorities from about the middle of the first century, through to the second decade of the third century C.E.

Pre - Mishnah Sherira Gaon – before Mishnah, each Rabbi had his own formulation and order of traditions. Rebbi’s Mishnha is based on that of R. Akiva: תוספתא מסכת זבים פרק א הלכה ה כשהיה ר' עקיבא מסדר הלכות לתלמידים אמר כל מי ששמע טעם על חברו יבוא ויאמר

Contents of the Mishnah First Order: Zeraim ("Seeds"). 11 tractates. It deals with agricultural laws and prayers. Second Order: Moed ("Festival"). 12 tractates. This pertains to the laws of the Sabbath and the Festivals. Third Order: Nashim ("Women"). 7 tractates. Concerns marriage and divorce. Fourth Order: Nezikin ("Damages"). 10 tractates. Deals with civil and criminal law. Fifth Order: Kodshim ("Holy things"). 11 tractates. This involves sacrificial rites, the Temple, and the dietary laws. Sixth order: Tohorot ("Purities"). 12 tractates. This pertains to the laws of purity and impurity, including the impurity of the dead, the laws of ritual purity for the priests (cohanim), the laws of "family purity" (the menstrual laws) and others.

Order of Masechtot within a Seder Rambam tries to explain order of tractates in the Mishnah based on either chronological or logical progression.

SEDER MOED Shabbat Eruvin Pesachim Shekalim Yoma Sukkah Beitzah Rosh Hashanah Ta'anint Megillah Moed Katan Hagigah

SEDER MOED Shabbat 24 Eruvin 10 Pesachim 10 Shekalim 8 Yoma 8 Sukkah 5 Beitzah 5 Rosh Hashanah 4 Ta'anint 4 Megillah 4 Moed Katan 3 Hagigah 3

SEDER NASHIM Yevamot 16 Ketubot 13 Nedarim 11 Nazir 9 Sotah 9 Gittin 9 Kiddushin 4

SEDER NEZIKIN Bava Kamma 10 Bava Metzia 10 Bava Batra 10 Sanhedrin 11 Makkot 3 Shevuot 8 Edutoyot 8 Avodah Zarah 5 Avot 5 (6) Horayot 3

SEDER KODASHIM Zevahim 14 Menahot 13 Hullin 12 Bekhorot 9 Arakhin 9 Terumah 7 Keritot 6 Me'ilah 6 Tamid 6 Middot 5 Kinnim 3

SEDER TOHOROT Keilim 30 Oholot 18 Negaim 14 Parah 12 Tohorot 10 Mikvaot 10 Niddah 10 Makshirin 6 Zavim 5 Tevul Yom 4 Yadaim 4 Uktzin 3

SEDER ZERAIM Berakhot 9 Peah 8 Demai 7 Kilaim 9 Sheviit 10 Terumot 11 Ma'asrot 5 Ma'aser Sheini 5 Hallah 4 Orlah 3 Bikkurim 4 See Elman in Anthology quoting Geiger

The most reliable complete manuscript of the Mishnah.

Save one life… משנה מסכת סנהדרין פרק ד משנה ה לפיכך נברא אדם יחידי ללמדך שכל המאבד נפש אחד מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו איבד עולם מלא וכל המקיים נפש אחת מישראל מעלה עליו הכתוב כאילו קיים עולם מלא ומפני שלום הבריות שלא יאמר אדם לחבירו אבא גדול מאביך http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvGu3Y9e8y0

Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5 – Ms. Kaufman

Comparing Mishnah & Tosefta תוספתא מסכת חולין פרק ח הלכה ו טיפת חלב שנפלה על החתיכה ר' יהודה אומר אם יש בנותן טעם באותה חתיכה וחכמים אומרים באותה הקדרה אמר רבי נראין דברי ר' יהודה בזמן שלא ניער ולא כסה ודברי חכמים בזמן שניער וכסה: משנה מסכת חולין פרק ח טיפת חלב שנפלה על החתיכה אם יש בה בנותן טעם באותה חתיכה אסור ניער את הקדרה אם יש בה בנותן טעם באותה קדרה אסור

Purpose of Mishnah Book of Textbook of Practical Halakha Oral Tradition Quotes the opinion of a single Rabbi in the Tosefta as “the Sages” in order to say that he represent the Halakha. There are still multiple opinion and contradictions within the Mishnah. Also, Mishnah includes impractical temple and purity laws.

Why Include Controversy? Eduyot ch. 1, Mishnah 5. And why do they record the opinion of a single person among the many, when the Halachah must be according to the opinion of the many? So that if a court prefers the opinion of the single person it may depend on him. For no court may set aside the decision of another court unless it is greater than it in wisdom and in number. If it was greater than it in wisdom but not in number, in number but not in wisdom, it may not set aside its decision, unless it is greater than it in wisdom and in number. Mishnah 6. R. Judah said: if so, why do they record the opinion of a single person among the many to set it aside? So that if a man shall say, thus have I learnt the tradition,’ it may be said to him, ‘according to the [refuted] opinion of that individual did you hear it.

Historical context of the Mishnah 451BCE – 12 Tablets 131CE – Hadrian issued the “Perpetual Edict” which froze and codified the praetorian edicts 2nd-3rd centuries, legal jurists (like Gaius, Paulus, Ulpian, and Papinian) write law commentaries and codes 438 – Theodosian Code 530 – Justinian Code

Deciding Dispute Codex Theodosianus, 1.4.3.2-4: Law of Citations (426CE): When conflicting opinions are cited, the greater number of the authors shall prevail, or if the numbers should be equal, the authority of that group shall take precedence in which the man of superior genius, Papinian, shall tower above the rest, and as he defeats a single opponent, so he yields to two…Furthermore, when their opinions as cited are equally divided and their authority is rated as equal, the regulation of the judge shall choose whose opinion he shall follow.

Yerushalmi Terumah 3:1 (42a) R. Hiyya said in the name of R. Yohanan, ‘[In a dispute between] Rabbi and his colleagues, the halakha follows Rabbi.’ And R. Yonah said, ‘Even between Rabbi and R. Eleazar b. R. Shimon’… R. Yose said in the name of R. Yohanan, ‘In a dispute between R. Yose and his colleagues, the halakha accords with R. Yose.’ R. Zeira and R. Yaakov bar Idi [said] in the name of R. Yohanan, “In a dispute between R. Meir and R. Shimon, the halakha follows R. Shimon. [In a dispute between] R. Shimon and R. Yehudah, the halakha follows R. Yehudah. It thus goes without saying [that in a dispute between] R. Meir and R. Yehudah, the halakha follows R. Yehudah.”

Amoraim Eres Yisrael Bavel 1 220-260 Yehoshua ben Levi Rav (Sura) Shmuel (Nehardea) 2 260-290 R. Yohanan Rav Yehuda Rav Huna 3 290-320 R. Zeira Rabbah Rav Nahman 4 320-350 R. Yirmiah Abaye and Rava 5 350-400 R. Yehuda Hanasi IV Rav Papa 6 400-500 Rav Ashi

Important Political Events 313CE Constantine converted to and declared toleration for Christianity 351CE Jewish Revolt against Gallus protesting anti-Jewish legislation 362CE Julian the Apostate announced rebuilding of the Bet Hamikdash 380 Christianity declared the official religion of the roman empire 395 Roman Empire splits into two 425CE Elimination of the Patriarchate 638CE Muslim Conquest

Texts and Time Periods 1000BCE King David 586 BCE Destruction of Temple I 539 BCE Cyrus the Great – Persian rule 516 BCE Second Temple Built 332 BCE Alexander the Great – Greek rule 164 BCE Maccabean Revolt 150BCE-70CE Pharisees 70 CE Second Temple Destroyed 132 CE Bar Kokhba Revolt 50-200 CE Tannaitic Period 220 CE Mishnah & Tannaitic Midrash Compiled 200-500 CE Amoraic Period 400 CE Yerushalmi & Amoraic Midrash Compiled 500-700 CE Savoraim in Babylonia 600 CE Bavli Completed

The Rabbis and their Literature Part II – Methodology

Charles James Ball We have to bear in mind a fact familiar enough to students of the Talmudic and Midrashic literature, though apparently unknown to many expositors of Scripture, whose minds conspicuously lack that orientation which is an indispensable preliminary to a right understanding of the treasures of Eastern thought; I mean, the inveterate tendency of Jewish teachers to convey their doctrine not in the form of abstract discourse, but in a mode appealing directly to the imagination, and seeking to rouse the interest and sympathy of the man rather than the philosopher.

The Rabbi embodies his lesson in a story, whether parable or allegory or seeming historical narrative; and the last thing he or his disciples would think of is to ask whether the selected persons, events, and circumstances which so vividly suggest the doctrine are in themselves real or fictitious. The doctrine is everything; the mode of presentation has no independent value. To make the story the first consideration, and the doctrine it was intended to convey an afterthought, as we, with our dry Western literalness, are predisposed to do, is to reverse the Jewish order of thinking, and to do unconscious injustice to the authors of many edifying narratives of antiquity.