{"id":2871,"date":"2013-01-18T21:26:08","date_gmt":"2013-01-18T21:26:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/?p=2871"},"modified":"2026-05-14T17:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T21:33:16","slug":"understanding-the-connection-between-talmud-mishnah-and-gemara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/?p=2871","title":{"rendered":"Understanding the connection between Targum, Talmud, Mishnah and Gemara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\"The Talmud has two components: the <a title=\"Mishnah\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mishnah\">Mishnah<\/a> (<a title=\"Hebrew\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hebrew\">Hebrew<\/a>: \u05de\u05e9\u05e0\u05d4, c. 200 CE), the first written compendium of Judaism's Oral Law, and the <a title=\"Gemara\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gemara\">Gemara<\/a> (c. 500 CE), an elucidation of the Mishnah and related Tannaitic writings that often ventures onto other subjects and expounds broadly on the <a title=\"Tanakh\" href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tanakh\">Hebrew Bible<\/a>.\" -<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Talmud\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, long story short:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Talmud<\/strong> (means instruction) is the second important text after the Torah. It is the rabbinical writings. It has <strong>two parts<\/strong>: First, <strong>Mishnah<\/strong>, the earliest collection of those writings, laws based on Torah but not of the Torah. Second, <strong>Gemara<\/strong>, explanation of Mishnah and other stuff. The production of Talmud was chiefly in Babylon (where some Jews remained after the Babylonian captivity), after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Targum<\/strong> (means Explanation) is basically commentaries of Torah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Update 5\/14\/2026:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After joining the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christunderground.org\/\">Christian Underground<\/a> to Muslims, I've learned much to add here, using Google AI:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Oral Torah<\/strong> (<em>Torah Sheb'al Peh<\/em>) is the body of laws, interpretations, and traditions in Rabbinic Judaism believed to have been transmitted orally <strong>from God to Moses<\/strong> on Mount Sinai, alongside the Written Torah. It explains the practical application of biblical commandments and was codified into the <strong>Mishnah<\/strong> and <strong>Gemara<\/strong> (together forming the <strong>Talmud<\/strong>) around 200\u2013500 CE. [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oral_Torah\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/netivyah.org\/what-is-the-oral-torah-a-messianic-perspective\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chabad.org\/library\/article_cdo\/aid\/812102\/jewish\/What-is-the-Oral-Torah.htm\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myjewishlearning.com\/article\/the-formation-of-the-oral-torah\/\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XYcSlpMNizE\">5<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Core Components and Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Definition:<\/strong> It consists of <strong>613 commandments<\/strong> given to Moses, including interpretations and legal details not explicitly detailed in the Five Books of Moses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Purpose:<\/strong> To <strong>explain the cryptic<\/strong>, often ambiguous, or incomplete instructions within the <strong>Written Torah<\/strong>, such as specifying what constitutes \"work\" on the Sabbath.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transmission:<\/strong> Traditionally passed down through an unbroken chain of teachers to students to maintain personal, living connection and engagement with the material.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Codification:<\/strong> Due to the risk of being forgotten during the hardships of exile, it was recorded in the <strong>Mishnah<\/strong> (c. 200 CE) and later the <strong>Gemara<\/strong>. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XYcSlpMNizE\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/ohr.edu\/explore_judaism\/ask_the_rabbi\/ask_the_rabbi\/8095\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.timesofisrael.com\/25-reasons-why-jews-also-eat-dairy-dishes-on-jewish-pentecost\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oral_Torah\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chabad.org\/library\/article_cdo\/aid\/812102\/jewish\/What-is-the-Oral-Torah.htm\">5<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Main Texts of the Oral Torah<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?sourceid=chrome&amp;ccb=1&amp;cs=0&amp;hl=en-US&amp;q=Mishnah&amp;mstk=AUtExfAMu88Mqp2UCzytDRuuW2wRcbnehVPbNPOR6n_Mlccaabo0nBIXzPCkrAdVlF9YW39KFjTWJgMftvmRRCVy5o93LHnKVOAU7C0ddWgfcjmkyYxERsG_pAM6QIPdyjs560JXFZLfkAg8n6I2G23Zda5uxoFlw5AwMN0&amp;mtid=Gz8Fap_vHN2GptQPmuyf2Ao&amp;rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS879US879&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIICAgQABgWGB4yCAgJEAAYFhge0gEIMjI2NWowajSoAgOwAgHxBUx55bhmC5bU8QVMeeW4ZguW1A&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3p-ML-906rRL_m6h4jR-tdCH-vUIlZq9RzugLEcfjf51b4dfDKizXS4hTwRCZW2TyY7HAVQoxKDQULsF9zI4RpxezEb8IU2dXaiS1mM2f27-e0BVFkHHpUaR4xQKPwszdeYr3Y70IEq_VaksCpP9D3jNKa42tvC00Q53rRlfDM-TRbjI2A&amp;aep=10&amp;ntc=1&amp;aioh=3&amp;csuir=1&amp;biw=1920&amp;bih=919&amp;csui=3&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjW1OHl07mUAxWWEVkFHYZ2KcwQgK4QeggIAggACEcQAQ\">Mishnah<\/a>:<\/strong> The initial, concise collection of oral laws compiled by <strong>Rabbi Judah the Prince<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?sourceid=chrome&amp;ccb=1&amp;cs=0&amp;hl=en-US&amp;q=Gemara&amp;mstk=AUtExfAMu88Mqp2UCzytDRuuW2wRcbnehVPbNPOR6n_Mlccaabo0nBIXzPCkrAdVlF9YW39KFjTWJgMftvmRRCVy5o93LHnKVOAU7C0ddWgfcjmkyYxERsG_pAM6QIPdyjs560JXFZLfkAg8n6I2G23Zda5uxoFlw5AwMN0&amp;mtid=Gz8Fap_vHN2GptQPmuyf2Ao&amp;rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS879US879&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIICAgQABgWGB4yCAgJEAAYFhge0gEIMjI2NWowajSoAgOwAgHxBUx55bhmC5bU8QVMeeW4ZguW1A&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3p-ML-906rRL_m6h4jR-tdCH-vUIlZq9RzugLEcfjf51b4dfDKizXS4hTwRCZW2TyY7HAVQoxKDQULsF9zI4RpxezEb8IU2dXaiS1mM2f27-e0BVFkHHpUaR4xQKPwszdeYr3Y70IEq_VaksCpP9D3jNKa42tvC00Q53rRlfDM-TRbjI2A&amp;aep=10&amp;ntc=1&amp;aioh=3&amp;csuir=1&amp;biw=1920&amp;bih=919&amp;csui=3&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjW1OHl07mUAxWWEVkFHYZ2KcwQgK4QeggIAggACEcQAw\">Gemara<\/a>:<\/strong> A comprehensive collection of Rabbinic analysis, commentary, and debates on the Mishnah.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?sourceid=chrome&amp;ccb=1&amp;cs=0&amp;hl=en-US&amp;q=Talmud&amp;mstk=AUtExfAMu88Mqp2UCzytDRuuW2wRcbnehVPbNPOR6n_Mlccaabo0nBIXzPCkrAdVlF9YW39KFjTWJgMftvmRRCVy5o93LHnKVOAU7C0ddWgfcjmkyYxERsG_pAM6QIPdyjs560JXFZLfkAg8n6I2G23Zda5uxoFlw5AwMN0&amp;mtid=Gz8Fap_vHN2GptQPmuyf2Ao&amp;rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS879US879&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIICAgQABgWGB4yCAgJEAAYFhge0gEIMjI2NWowajSoAgOwAgHxBUx55bhmC5bU8QVMeeW4ZguW1A&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3p-ML-906rRL_m6h4jR-tdCH-vUIlZq9RzugLEcfjf51b4dfDKizXS4hTwRCZW2TyY7HAVQoxKDQULsF9zI4RpxezEb8IU2dXaiS1mM2f27-e0BVFkHHpUaR4xQKPwszdeYr3Y70IEq_VaksCpP9D3jNKa42tvC00Q53rRlfDM-TRbjI2A&amp;aep=10&amp;ntc=1&amp;aioh=3&amp;csuir=1&amp;biw=1920&amp;bih=919&amp;csui=3&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjW1OHl07mUAxWWEVkFHYZ2KcwQgK4QeggIAggACEcQBQ\">Talmud<\/a>:<\/strong> The <strong>combination of the Mishnah and Gemara<\/strong>. There are <strong>two <\/strong>versions: the <strong>Babylonian <\/strong>Talmud (more widely studied) and the <strong>Jerusalem <\/strong>Talmud.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?sourceid=chrome&amp;ccb=1&amp;cs=0&amp;hl=en-US&amp;q=Midrash&amp;mstk=AUtExfAMu88Mqp2UCzytDRuuW2wRcbnehVPbNPOR6n_Mlccaabo0nBIXzPCkrAdVlF9YW39KFjTWJgMftvmRRCVy5o93LHnKVOAU7C0ddWgfcjmkyYxERsG_pAM6QIPdyjs560JXFZLfkAg8n6I2G23Zda5uxoFlw5AwMN0&amp;mtid=Gz8Fap_vHN2GptQPmuyf2Ao&amp;rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS879US879&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDIHCAEQABiABDIHCAIQABiABDIHCAMQABiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIICAgQABgWGB4yCAgJEAAYFhge0gEIMjI2NWowajSoAgOwAgHxBUx55bhmC5bU8QVMeeW4ZguW1A&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;fbs=ADc_l-aN0CWEZBOHjofHoaMMDiKpaEWjvZ2Py1XXV8d8KvlI3p-ML-906rRL_m6h4jR-tdCH-vUIlZq9RzugLEcfjf51b4dfDKizXS4hTwRCZW2TyY7HAVQoxKDQULsF9zI4RpxezEb8IU2dXaiS1mM2f27-e0BVFkHHpUaR4xQKPwszdeYr3Y70IEq_VaksCpP9D3jNKa42tvC00Q53rRlfDM-TRbjI2A&amp;aep=10&amp;ntc=1&amp;aioh=3&amp;csuir=1&amp;biw=1920&amp;bih=919&amp;csui=3&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjW1OHl07mUAxWWEVkFHYZ2KcwQgK4QeggIAggACEcQBw\">Midrash<\/a>:<\/strong> Interpretive explorations of the text, often offering legal or ethical lessons. [<a href=\"https:\/\/thetorahguide.com\/what-is-the-oral-torah\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/christianhistoryinstitute.org\/magazine\/article\/people-of-torah\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/study.com\/academy\/lesson\/midrash-overview-history-purpose.html\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oral_Torah\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chabad.org\/library\/article_cdo\/aid\/812102\/jewish\/What-is-the-Oral-Torah.htm\">5<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Key Principles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Halacha (Law):<\/strong> The binding legal rulings deduced from study and tradition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aggadah (Narrative):<\/strong> Philosophical, ethical, and narrative discussions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>13 Principles:<\/strong> The Talmudic hermeneutical rules used to interpret the Written Torah. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/cathen\/14435b.htm\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/literatureandhistory.com\/episode-104-introduction-to-the-talmud\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/rmbhcharities.com\/rabbi-meir-resources\/torah-teachings\/three-parts-wisdom\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chabad.org\/library\/article_cdo\/aid\/812102\/jewish\/What-is-the-Oral-Torah.htm\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thetorahguide.com\/what-is-the-oral-torah\/\">5<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Oral Torah is essential for the practice of Rabbinic Judaism, enabling the law to be applied to new circumstances throughout history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Do all Jews believe that Oral Torah as orally transmitted from God to Moses in Judaism?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>No, not all Jews believe that the Oral Torah was orally transmitted from God to Moses at Mount Sinai.<\/strong> This specific belief is a fundamental tenet of <strong>Orthodox Judaism<\/strong>, but Jewish denominations vary significantly in how they view the origin, divinity, and authority of the oral tradition. [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oral_Torah\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myjewishlearning.com\/article\/the-formation-of-the-oral-torah\/\">2<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perspectives by Denomination<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Denomination [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2011\/10\/biblical-evidence-for-the-oral-torah-hence-by-analogy-oral-apostolic-tradition.html\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/Judaism\/comments\/10arl3t\/belief_that_oral_torah_comes_from_sinai\/\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jtsa.edu\/torah\/what-did-we-receive-at-sinai\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/Judaism\/comments\/1hvyhp\/conservative_judaism_and_its_view_on_oral_torah\/\">4<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.temple-beth-el.org\/sghportal\/torahservice\">5<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hebrew4christians.com\/Articles\/Oral_Torah\/oral_torah.html\">6<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oral_Torah\">7<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myjewishlearning.com\/article\/the-formation-of-the-oral-torah\/\">8<\/a>]<\/th><th>View on Sinaitic Origin<\/th><th>View on Authority<\/th><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Orthodox<\/strong><\/td><td>Divinely revealed to Moses at Sinai; passed down verbatim or via interpretive rules in an unbroken chain.<\/td><td><strong>Fully Binding.<\/strong> Considered equal to a direct divine command.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Conservative<\/strong><\/td><td>Culturally and historically developed by human rabbis; inspired by God but not dictated literally at Sinai.<\/td><td><strong>Binding.<\/strong> The Talmud remains the essential framework for Jewish law (<em>Halakha<\/em>), but modern rabbis have more flexibility to adapt it.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Reform &amp; Reconstructionist<\/strong><\/td><td>Entirely a human product created by ancient sages to understand their times. Not revealed at Sinai.<\/td><td><strong>Non-Binding.<\/strong> Viewed as a valuable historical, ethical, and cultural resource rather than a legal obligation.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Karaite Judaism<\/strong><\/td><td>Explicitly rejects the existence of a divine Oral Torah. They view the Talmud as a collection of human traditions.<\/td><td><strong>Rejected.<\/strong> They rely strictly on the literal text of the Written Torah (<em>Tanakh<\/em>).<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Historical Differences<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ancient Sects:<\/strong> During the Second Temple period, the <strong>Sadducees<\/strong> rejected the oral traditions completely. They adhered strictly to the Written Torah, whereas the <strong>Pharisees<\/strong> championed the Oral Law (and became the ancestors of modern Rabbinic Judaism).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews):<\/strong> Because they were isolated from mainstream global Jewry for centuries, they historically practiced a form of Judaism based entirely on written texts (<em>the Octateuch<\/em>) and <strong>did not possess the Talmud or Oral Torah traditions<\/strong> until modern integration into Israel. [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mjmi.org\/2026\/02\/01\/is-the-oral-law-biblical\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tabletmag.com\/sections\/belief\/articles\/disobey-daf-yomi-235\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/undeceptions.com\/articles\/rediscovering-the-jewish-jesus\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myjewishlearning.com\/article\/the-formation-of-the-oral-torah\/\">5<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Would you like to explore <strong>how Karaite Jewish practices differ<\/strong> without the Oral Torah, or see <strong>examples of how the Talmud interprets<\/strong> vague written biblical laws? [<a href=\"https:\/\/aish.com\/necessity-of-oral-law\/\">1<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XYcSlpMNizE\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myjewishlearning.com\/article\/the-formation-of-the-oral-torah\/\">3<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hebrew4christians.com\/Articles\/Oral_Torah\/oral_torah.html\">4<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\"The Talmud has two components: the Mishnah (Hebrew: \u05de\u05e9\u05e0\u05d4, c. 200 CE), the first written compendium of Judaism's Oral Law, and the Gemara (c. 500 CE), an elucidation of the Mishnah and related Tannaitic writings that often ventures onto other &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/?p=2871\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-theologization","category-vocabularies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2871"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20763,"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2871\/revisions\/20763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nycphantom.com\/journal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}