The Jewish Scriptures - The Oral Law
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.2.9
The Jewish Scriptrues - The Oral Law
Accompanying the Written Law is the Oral Law, known as the Talmud.
The Talmud
- The Talmud is the spoken explanation of the Torah.
- The oral tradition means the Talmud was transmitted verbally through the generations.
- Many of the Torah’s laws are impossible to understand without an explanation.
- Whilst the commandment to keep Shabbat is found in the Ten Commandments (the Written Law) the rules of Shabbat are found in the Oral Law.
The Mishnah
- The Talmud is a combination of two main texts - the Mishnah and the Gemarah.
- The Mishnah contains a very detailed listing of Jewish laws which cover every area of life.
- The Mishnah is written in a very brief style that made sense to the people at the time.
Rules in the Mishnah
- In the Mishnah, there are laws about:
- Festivals
- Marriage
- Divorce
- Prayer
- Agriculture
- Business laws
- Laws of damages
- Rules about blessings
- There is no area of life that is disconnected from God.
The Gemarah
- Years later the Rabbis began to discuss the meaning of the laws.
- Their discussions became the Gemarah.
- The combination of Mishnah and Gemarah make up the Talmud.
- Some Jews study the Talmud every day.
- There are 2711 pages in the Talmud.
- If you studied one page a day it would take 7.5 years to study the Talmud completely.
- The Talmud is the basis of how Jewish people live today.
Test yourself on The Jewish Scriptures - The Oral Law
Which text contains a very detailed listing of Jewish laws which cover every area of life?