The Tosefta (Aramaic Aramaic is a Semitic language belonging to the Afroasiatic language family. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic subfamily, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic group of languages, which also includes Canaanite languages such as Hebrew and Phoenician. Aramaic script was widely adopted for other languages and is: תוספתא. Additions, Supplements) is a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the period of the Mishnah The Mishnah or Mishna (Hebrew: משנה, "repetition", from the verb shanah שנה, or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c. 220 CE by Judah haNasi.

Contents

Overview

In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah (tosefta means "supplement or addition"). The Mishnah The Mishnah or Mishna (Hebrew: משנה, "repetition", from the verb shanah שנה, or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c. 220 CE by Judah haNasi is the basic compilation of the Oral law of Judaism Judaism is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people. Judaism, originating in the Hebrew Bible and explored in later texts such as the Talmud, is considered by Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God developed with the Children of Israel. According to traditional Rabbinic Judaism, God revealed; it was compiled around 220 CE. The Tosefta closely corresponds to the Mishnah, with the same divisions for sedarim ("orders") and masekhot ("tractates"). It is mainly written in Mishnaic Hebrew The term Mishnaic Hebrew refers to the Hebrew dialects found in the Talmud, excepting quotations from the Hebrew Bible. The dialects can be further sub-divided into Mishnaic Hebrew , which was a spoken language, and Amoraic Hebrew (also called Late Rabbinic Hebrew or Mishnaic Hebrew II), which was a literary language, with some Aramaic Aramaic is a Semitic language belonging to the Afroasiatic language family. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic subfamily, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic group of languages, which also includes Canaanite languages such as Hebrew and Phoenician. Aramaic script was widely adopted for other languages and is.

At times the text of the Tosefta agrees nearly verbatim with the Mishnah. At others there are significant differences. The Tosefta attributes laws that are anonymous in the Mishnah to named Tannaim The Tannaim were the Rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 70-200 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 130 years. It came after the period of the Zugot ("pairs"), and was immediately followed by the period of the Amoraim. It also augments the Mishnah with additional glosses and discussions. It offers additional aggadic Aggadah (Aramaic אגדה: tales, lore; pl. Aggadot or Aggados) refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic homilies that incorporates folklore, historical anecdotes, moral and midrashic Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible material, and it sometimes contradicts the Mishnah in the ruling of Halakha (Jewish law), or in declaring in whose name a law was given.

Origins

According to rabbinic tradition, the Tosefta was redacted by Rabbis Ḥiya and Oshaiah (a student of Ḥiya). [1] Whereas the Mishna was considered authoritative, the Tosefta was supplementary. The Talmud often utilizes the traditions found in the Tosefta to examine the text of the Mishnah.

The traditional view is that the Tosefta should be dated to a period concurrent with or shortly after the redaction of the Mishnah The Mishnah or Mishna (Hebrew: משנה, "repetition", from the verb shanah שנה, or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c. 220 CE by Judah haNasi. This view pre-supposes that the Tosefta was produced in order to record variant material not included in the Mishnah.

Modern scholarship can be roughly divided into two camps. Some, such as Jacob N. Epstein theorize that the Tosefta as we have it developed from a proto-Tosefta recension which formed much of the basis for later Amoraic debate. Others, such as Hanokh Albeck, theorize that the Tosefta is a later compendium of several baraitot collections which were in use during the Amoraic period.

More recent scholarship, such as that of Yaakov Elman, concludes that since the Tosefta, as we know it, must be dated linguistically as an example of Middle Hebrew 1 The term Mishnaic Hebrew refers to the Hebrew dialects found in the Talmud, excepting quotations from the Hebrew Bible. The dialects can be further sub-divided into Mishnaic Hebrew , which was a spoken language, and Amoraic Hebrew (also called Late Rabbinic Hebrew or Mishnaic Hebrew II), which was a literary language, it was most likely compiled in early Amoraic times from oral transmission of baraitot.[2], Professor Shamma Friedman, has found that the Tosefta draws on relatively early Tannaitic source material and that parts of the Tosefta predate the Mishnah.[3]

Alberdina Houtman and colleagues theorize that while the Mishnah The Mishnah or Mishna (Hebrew: משנה, "repetition", from the verb shanah שנה, or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c. 220 CE by Judah haNasi was compiled in order to establish an authoritative text on halakhic tradition, a more conservative party opposed the exclusion of the rest of tradition and produced the Tosefta to avoid the impression that the written Mishnah was equivalent to the entire oral Torah. The original intention was that the two texts would be viewed on equal standing, but the succinctness of the Mishnah and the power and influence of Yehuda Ha-Nassi made it more popular among most students of tradition.[4]

Ultimately, the state of the source material is such to allow divergent opinions to exist. These opinions serve to show the difficulties in establishing a clear picture of the origins of the Tosefta.

Manuscripts / Editions / Commentaries

Manuscripts

Three manuscripts exist of the Tosefta, they are:

The Editio Princeps was printed in Venice in 1521 as an addendum to Isaac Alfasi Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen (Hebrew: ר יצחק אלפסי) - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif (Rabbi Isaac al-Fasi), was a Talmudist and posek (decisor in matters of halakha - Jewish law). He is best known for his work of halakha, the legal code Sefer Ha-halachot, considered the first fundamental work in halakhic's Halakhot.

Many Geniza The Cairo Geniza is an accumulation of almost 280,000 Jewish manuscript fragments that were found in the genizah or store room of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Fustat, presently Old Cairo, Egypt, the Basatin cemetery east of Old Cairo, and a number of old documents that were bought in Cairo in the later 19th century. It is dispersed among a number of fragments have been published online by Bar Ilan University Bar-Ilan University (Hebrew: אוניברסיטת בר-אילן‎ Universitat Bar-Ilan) is a university in Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students (including 9,000 students in its affiliated regional colleges) and 1,350 faculty members. Bar-Ilan University. [5]

Editions

Two critical editions have been published. The first was that of Moses Samuel Zuckermandl in 1882. Which relied heavily on the Erfurt manuscript of the Tosefta. Zuckermandl's work has been characterized as a "a great step forward" for its time.[6]

In 1955 Saul Lieberman began publishing his monumental Tosefta ki-Feshutah. Between 1955 and 1973, ten volumes of the new edition were published, representing the text and the commentaries on the entire orders of Zera'im, Mo'ed and Nashim. In 1988, three volumes were published posthumously on the order of Nezikin, including tractates Bava Kama, Bava Metziah, and Bava Basrah. Lieberman's work has been called the "pinnacle of modern Tosefta studies."[7]

Commentaries

Major commentaries on the Tosefta include those by:

David Pardo: Chasdei David; Originally published in Livorno (1776), and printed in editions of the Vilna Shas.

Yehezkel Abramsky: Hazon Yehezkel (24 volumes, 1925-1975 in Hebrew Extinct as a regularly spoken language by the 4th century CE, but survived as a liturgical and literary language; revived in the 1880s).

Saul Lieberman: Tosefet Rishonim, Jerusalem 1937.

Translations

The Tosefta has been translated into English by Rabbi Jacob Neusner Jacob Neusner is an American academic scholar of Judaism who lives in Rhinebeck, New York and his students. They have also produced a commentary on Seder Zeraim.

Eli Gurevich's English translation and detailed commentary on the Tosefta is in the progress of being written.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ Rashi Shlomo Yitzhaki , better known by the acronym Rashi (RAbbi SHlomo Itzhaki), was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of the first comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). He is considered the "father" of all commentaries that followed on the Talmud (i.e., the in his commentary on Talmud The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism, in the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin was an assembly of twenty-three judges appointed in every city in the Biblical Land of Israel 33a, s.v. v'afilu ta'ah b'rebbi Hiyya.
  2. ^ Yaakov Elman, Authority & Tradition, Yeshiva Univ. Press, 1994; "Babylonian Baraitot in Tosefta and the `Dialectology' of Middle Hebrew," Association for Jewish Studies Review 16 (1991), 1-29.
  3. ^ S.Y. Friedman, Le-Hithavvut Shinnuye ha-Girsaot be'Talmud ha-Bavli, Sidra 7, 1991.
  4. ^ Alberdina Houtman, Mishnah and Tosefta: A Synoptic Comparison of the Tractates Berakhot, Mohr Siebeck, 1996
  5. ^ Available at: http://www.biu.ac.il/js/tannaim/
  6. ^ Stephen G. Wald, Tosefta in the Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. Vol. 20. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2007. p70-72
  7. ^ Stephen G. Wald, Tosefta in the Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ibid.
  8. ^ It can be downloaded for free from his website http://www.toseftaonline.org/.

See also

External links

The Six Orders of the Mishnah The Mishnah or Mishna (Hebrew: משנה, "repetition", from the verb shanah שנה, or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c. 220 CE by Judah haNasi (ששה סדרי משנה)
Zeraim Seder Zeraim is the first and shortest Seder ("Order") of the Mishnah, the first major work of Jewish law. The section of mishnah was written by the rabbis to inform all Jews what must be done to fulfill their biblical obligations of prayer and commandments about food. Observers of Jewish law are bound with many obligations and   (זרעים) Moed Moed ("Festivals") is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people (also the Tosefta and Talmud). Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of Moed consists of 12 tractates:   (מועד) Nashim Nashim ("Women" or "Wives") is the third order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud), containing the laws related to women and family life. Of the six orders of the Mishna, it is the second shortest   (נשים) Nezikin Nezikin or Seder Nezikin (סדר נזיקין, The Order of Damages) is the fourth Order of the Mishna (also the Tosefta and Talmud). It deals largely with Jewish criminal and civil law and the Jewish court system   (נזיקין) Kodashim Kodashim or Kodoshim is the fifth Order in the Mishna (also the Tosefta and Talmud). Of the six Orders of the Mishna, it is the third longest. Kodoshim deals largely with the religious service within the Temple in Jerusalem, the Korbanot ("sacrificial offerings"), and other subjects considered or related to these "Holy Things"   (קדשים) Tohorot Tohorot is the sixth order of the Mishnah (also the Tosefta and Talmud). This order deals with the clean/unclean distinction and family purity. This is the longest of the orders in the Mishnah. There are 12 tractates:   (טהרות)

Berakhot · Pe'ah Pe'ah is the second tractate of Seder Zeraim ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. The tractate is a fitting continuation of Seder Zeraim. Following the initial subject of blessings and benedictions, instilling an attitude of reverence and gratitude, this tractate begins the discussion of the main topic of the Seder, · Demai · Kil'ayim · Shevi'it · Terumot Terumot is the sixth tractate of Seder Zeraim ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. It discusses two type of donations, one the terumah which is generally 1/50 of your crop given to the Kohen and 10% of the Masser that is given to Levite is given to the Kohen, called "Terumat Masser." The laws of Terumah are · Ma'aserot Ma'aserot is the seventh tractate of Seder Zeraim ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. It discusses the types of produce liable for tithing as well as the circumstances and timing under which produce becomes obligated for tithing. In Biblical times, during each of the six years of the cycle, "Maaser Rishon" was · Ma'aser Sheni · Hallah Hallah is the ninth tractate of Seder Zeraim ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. This "Hallah" was separated from bread dough made from the five species of grain and put aside for a Kohen in Biblical times and the time of the Jewish Temple. Today, it is separated and burnt in the oven or fed to birds in a few · Orlah · Bikkurim Bikkurim is the eleventh tractate of Seder Zeraim ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. All versions of the Mishnah contain the first three chapters, and some versions contain a fourth

Shabbat Shabbat is first tractate (book) in the Order (Mishnaic section) of Moed, of the Mishnah and Talmud. The tractate consists of 24 chapters · Eruvin Moed ("Festivals") is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people (also the Tosefta and Talmud). Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of Moed consists of 12 tractates: · Pesahim · Shekalim · Yoma Yoma is the fifth tractate of Seder Moed ("Order of Festivals") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. It is concerned mainly with the laws of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, on which Jews atone for their sins from the previous year. It consists of eight chapters and has a Gemara ("Completion") from both the Jerusalem Talmud and the · Sukkah Sukkah is a book of the Mishnah and Talmud. It is the sixth volume in the Order (Mishnaic section) of Moed. Sukkah deals primarily with laws relating to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. It has five chapters · Beitzah Moed ("Festivals") is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people (also the Tosefta and Talmud). Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of Moed consists of 12 tractates: · Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah is the name of a text of Jewish law originating in the Mishnah which formed the basis of tractates in both the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud of the same name. It is the eighth tractate of the order Moed. The text contains the most important rules concerning the calendar year, together with a description of the · Ta'anit · Megillah Megillah is the tenth Tractate of Mishnah in the Order Moed. It and its Gemara deal with the laws of Purim and offers exegetical understandings to the Book of Esther. It also includes laws concerning the public reading of the Torah and other communal synagogue practices. There is also a segment in the first chapter which details certain · Mo'ed Katan · Hagigah Tractate Hagigah deals with the Three Pilgrimage Festivals (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot) and the pilgrimage offering that men were supposed to bring in Jerusalem. At the middle of the second chapter, the Talmud discusses topics of ritual purity

Yevamot Nashim ("Women" or "Wives") is the third order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud), containing the laws related to women and family life. Of the six orders of the Mishna, it is the second shortest · Ketubot · Nedarim · Nazir · Sotah Nashim ("Women" or "Wives") is the third order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud), containing the laws related to women and family life. Of the six orders of the Mishna, it is the second shortest · Gittin Nashim ("Women" or "Wives") is the third order of the Mishnah (also of the Tosefta and Talmud), containing the laws related to women and family life. Of the six orders of the Mishna, it is the second shortest · Kiddushin

Bava Kamma · Bava Metzia · Bava Batra · Sanhedrin · Makkot · Shevu'ot · Eduyot · Avodah Zarah · Avot · Horayot

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Categories: Mishnah | Talmud

 

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