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In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word mitzvah ( / ˈ m ɪ t s v ə / ; Hebrew : מִצְוָה , mīṣvā [mit͡sˈva] , plural מִצְווֹת mīṣvōt [mit͡sˈvot] ; "commandment") refers to a commandment from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law ( halakha ) in large part consists of discussion of these commandments. According to religious tradition, there are 613 such commandments .

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99-403: In its secondary meaning, the word mitzvah refers to a deed performed in order to fulfill such a commandment. As such, the term mitzvah has also come to express an individual act of human kindness in keeping with the law. The expression includes a sense of heartfelt sentiment beyond mere legal duty, as "you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). For some mitzvot , the purpose

198-486: A Harachaman for mourners: "The Merciful One is a true God and an honest judge, He deals fairly and He takes fairly, and He has absolute power in His world to do as He wills, for all of His ways are just. And we are His people and His servants. We are always obligated to praise Him and to bless Him. End this evil and our mourning. The mender of Israel's breaches will mend this breach of ours for life and peace." An abbreviated text

297-659: A Hebrew abbreviation of shisha sedarim , or the "six orders" of the Mishnah . The Talmud has two components: the Mishnah ( משנה , c. 200 CE), a written compendium of the Oral Torah ; and the Gemara ( גמרא , c. 500 CE), a commentary of the Mishnah and related Tannaitic writings whose greater goal is to systematically understand the Hebrew Bible . Sometimes, the term "Talmud"

396-459: A Babylonian Aramaic dialect. The Jerusalem is also more fragmentary (and difficult to read) due to a less complete redactional process . Legally, the two differ minimally. The Babylonian Talmud has received significantly more interest and coverage from commentators. This significantly greater influence is primarily because the prestige of the Jewish community of Israel steadily declined in contrast with

495-511: A compilation by Zechariah Aghmati called Sefer ha-Ner . The Tosafot are collected commentaries by various medieval Ashkenazic rabbis on the Talmud (known as Tosafists or Ba'alei Tosafot ). One of the main goals of the Tosafot is to explain and interpret contradictory statements in the Talmud. Unlike Rashi, the Tosafot is not a running commentary, but rather comments on selected matters. Often

594-636: A compilation of scholastic teachings and analyses on the Mishnah (especially those concerning agricultural laws) found across regional centres of the Land of Israel now known as the Academies in Galilee (principally those of Tiberias , Sepphoris , and Caesarea ). It is written largely in Jewish Palestinian Aramaic , a Western Aramaic language that differs from its Babylonian counterpart . The eye and

693-486: A corresponding Gemara. Also, the order of the tractates in the Talmud differs in some cases from that in the Mishnah . The Gemara constitutes the commentary portion of the Talmud. The Mishnah, and its commentary (the Gemara), together constitute the Talmud. This commentary arises from a longstanding tradition of rabbis analyzing, debating, and discussing the Mishnah ever since it had been published. The rabbis who participated in

792-517: A disciple of Judah ha-Nasi . Tradition ascribes the compilation of the Babylonian Talmud in its present form to two Babylonian sages, Rav Ashi and Ravina II . Rav Ashi was president of the Sura Academy from 375 to 427. The work begun by Rav Ashi was completed by Ravina, who is traditionally regarded as the final Amoraic expounder. Accordingly, traditionalists argue that Ravina's death in 475

891-522: A lower boundary on the dating of the Babylonian Talmud, it must post-date the early 5th century given its reliance on the Jerusalem Talmud . From the time of its completion, the Talmud became integral to Jewish scholarship. A maxim in Pirkei Avot advocates its study from the age of 15. This section outlines some of the major areas of Talmudic study. One area of Talmudic scholarship developed out of

990-426: A meal is Deuteronomy 8:10 "When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the L ORD your God for the good land which He gave you". The process is often referred to as bentsching; the word "bentsch" means to bless. Birkat Hamazon is made up of four blessings. The first three blessings are regarded as required by scriptural law: Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook described the order of these four blessings as

1089-410: A minimum of three adult Jewish males eat bread as part of a meal together they are obligated to form a mezuman (a "prepared gathering") with the addition of a few extra opening words whereby one man "invites" the others to join him in birkat hamazon . (This invitation is called a zimmun ). When those present at the meal form a minyan (a quorum of ten adult Jewish men) there are further additions to

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1188-552: A number of works, mainly by the Rishonim , that attempt to enumerate 613 commandments. Probably the most famous of these is Sefer Hamitzvot by Maimonides . The Biblical mitzvot are referred to in the Talmud as mitzvot d'oraita , translated as commandments of the Law (Torah) . In addition, rabbis of later generations decreed a number of additional laws, which are known as rabbinic laws ( mitzvot derabbanan ). Types of rabbinic laws include

1287-700: A sugya of the Babylonian Talmud may draw upon the Mishnah, the Jerusalem Talmud, midrash, and other sources. The traditions that the Gemara comments on are not limited to what is found in the Mishnah, but the Baraita as well (a term that broadly designates Oral Torah traditions that did not end up in the Mishnah). The baraitot cited in the Gemara are often quotations from the Tosefta (a tannaitic compendium of halakha parallel to

1386-536: A variety of subjects, including halakha , Jewish ethics , philosophy , customs , history , and folklore , and many other topics. The term Talmud normally refers to the collection of writings named specifically the Babylonian Talmud ( Talmud Bavli ), compiled in the 5th century by Rav Ashi and Ravina II . There is also an earlier collection known as the Jerusalem Talmud ( Talmud Yerushalmi ). It may also traditionally be called Shas ( ש״ס ),

1485-529: A year], and 248 positive commands, corresponding to the number of the members [bones covered with flesh] of a man's body. However, this opinion was not universally accepted. Abraham ibn Ezra observed that there were over a thousand divine commandments in the Bible, but fewer than 300 applied to his time. Nachmanides found that the number was in dispute and uncertain. The number 613 is a rabbinical tradition rather than an exact count. In rabbinic literature there are

1584-520: A “ladder of prayer,” as we raise our sights and aspirations. The first blessing refers to one's personal needs; the second, the physical needs of the nation (through the Land of Israel); the third, the nation's spiritual aspirations (Jerusalem and the Temple); and the fourth blessing, our ultimate aspiration to be a “light unto the nations.” The statutory birkat hamazon ends at the end of these four blessings, with

1683-528: Is a Zimmun. Furthermore, according to Talmudic law, Sheha-Simchah bi-m'ono (and presumably Devai Haser ) can be recited for up to thirty days, or even a year if the meal was made specifically in honor of the couple; nevertheless, this is not practiced today. At birkat hamazon concluding the celebratory meal of a brit milah (ritual circumcision), in the Eastern Ashkenazic rite, additional introductory lines, known as Nodeh Leshimcha , are added at

1782-455: Is a set of Hebrew blessings that Jewish law prescribes following a meal that includes at least a kezayit (olive-sized) piece of bread . It is understood as a mitzvah (Biblical commandment) based on Deuteronomy 8:10. Birkat Hamazon is recited after a meal containing bread or similar foods that is made from the five grains , with the exception of bread that comes as a dessert ( pas haba'ah b'kisanin ) and food that does not possess

1881-504: Is divided into chapters ( perakim ; singular: perek ), 517 in total, that are both numbered according to the Hebrew alphabet and given names, usually using the first one or two words in the first Mishnah. A perek may continue over several (up to tens of) pages . Each perek will contain several mishnayot . The Mishnah is a compilation of legal opinions and debates. Statements in the Mishnah are typically terse, recording brief opinions of

1980-763: Is largely in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic , although quotations in the Gemara of the Mishnah, the Baraitas and Tanakh appear in Mishnaic or Biblical Hebrew. Some other dialects of Aramaic occur in quotations of other older works, like the Megillat Taanit . The reason why earlier texts occur in Hebrew, and later texts in Aramaic, is because of the adoption of the latter (which was the spoken vernacular) by rabbinic circles during

2079-527: Is more commonly done on Shabbat and Jewish Holidays , and almost universally done at meals celebrating special events. At a Passover Seder , the cup of blessing is drunk by everyone present, and functions as the "Third Cup". Many have the custom - especially after a Shabbat meal - of sharing a Dvar Torah ("word of Torah"; Yiddish, " vort "), before the invitation. This is based on Pirkei Avot 3:3 : "If three have eaten at one table, and have spoken there words of Torah, [it is] as if they had eaten at

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2178-499: Is no biblical source for the obligation to keep rabbinic mitzvot. In addition, many of the specific details of the Biblical mitzvot are only derived via rabbinical application of the Oral Torah (Mishna/Gemarah); for example, the three daily prayers in any language and the recitation of the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-7) twice a day in any language, the binding of the tefillin and the fixing of

2277-456: Is often criticized as being a modern-day version of pilpul . Nevertheless, the influence of the Brisker method is great. Most modern-day Yeshivot study the Talmud using the Brisker method in some form. One feature of this method is the use of Maimonides ' Mishneh Torah as a guide to Talmudic interpretation, as distinct from its use as a source of practical halakha . Rival methods were those of

2376-456: Is often printed in a variety of artistic styles in a small booklet called a birchon (or birkon , בִּרְכּוׂן ‎) in Hebrew or bencher (or bentscher ) in Yiddish . The length of the different brakhot hamazon can vary considerably, from bentsching in under half a minute to more than five minutes. The scriptural source for the requirement to recite a blessing after

2475-562: Is only used for the Gemara. As a whole, the traditions of the Talmud emerged in a literary tradition that occurred between the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the Arab conquest in the early seventh century. In all, the Talmud is divided into 63 tractates , with each tractate systematically discussing one general subject or theme. In the standard print of the Talmud (the Vilna Shas ),

2574-672: Is sometime used when time is lacking. It contains the four essential blessings in a somewhat shortened form, with fewer preliminaries and additions. In liberal branches of Judaism, there is no standard text to be recited and customs vary accordingly. Many Sephardi Jews , especially Spanish and Portuguese Jews often sing a hymn in Spanish (not Ladino as is commonly assumed), called Bendigamos , before or after birkat hamazon . An additional abbreviated form of birkat hamazon in Ladino, called Ya Comimos , may also be said. According to Halakha when

2673-537: Is specified in the Torah; though, the opinions of the Talmudic rabbis are divided between those who seek the purpose of the mitzvot and those who do not question them. The former believe that if people were to understand the reason for each mitzvah , it would help them to observe and perform the mitzvah . The latter argue that if the purpose for each mitzvah could be determined, people might try to achieve what they see as

2772-634: Is the latest possible date for the completion of the redaction of the Talmud. However, even on the most traditional view, a few passages are regarded as the work of a group of rabbis who edited the Talmud after the end of the Amoraic period, known as the Savoraim or Rabbanan Savora'e (meaning "reasoners" or "considerers"). Unlike the Western Aramaic dialect of the Jerusalm Talmud, the Babylonian Talmud has

2871-590: Is used without qualification. The two Talmuds were likely written independently of one another. The Jerusalem Talmud ( Talmud Yerushalmi ) is known by several other names, including the Palestinian Talmud (which is more accurate, as it was not compiled in Jerusalem ), or the Talmuda de-Eretz Yisrael ("Talmud of the Land of Israel"). Prior to being written down, it was transmitted orally for centuries and represents

2970-442: Is usually passed over in favor of answering questions of the practical halakha . Talmud The Talmud ( / ˈ t ɑː l m ʊ d , - m ə d , ˈ t æ l -/ ; Hebrew : תַּלְמוּד ‎ , romanized :  Talmūḏ , lit.   'teaching') is, after the Hebrew Bible , the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ( halakha ) and Jewish theology . Until

3069-496: The makshan (questioner) and tartzan (answerer). Gemara also commonly tries to find the correct biblical basis for a given law in the Mishnah as well as the logical process that connects the biblical to the Mishnaic tradition. This process was known as talmud , long before the "Talmud" itself became a text. In addition, the Gemara contains a wide range of narratives, homiletical or exegetical passages, sayings, and other non-legal content, termed aggadah . A story told in

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3168-415: The takkanah and the gezeirah . Medieval rabbis discussed the question of why a Jew should be required to follow rabbinic mitzvot, as they were not commanded by God, but rather by the rabbis. According to Maimonides , one who keeps rabbinic mitzvot is in fact following a Biblical commandment to obey the decisions of the Jewish religious authorities ( Deut. 17:11 , 32:7 ) According to Nahmanides , there

3267-448: The 613 Biblical commandments , form a total of 620, corresponding to the numerical value of the phrase Keter Torah ("The Crown of the Torah"). The commandments have been divided also into three general categories: mishpatim; edot; and chukim. Mishpatim ("laws") include commandments that are deemed to be self-evident, such as not to murder and not to steal. Edot ("testimonies") commemorate important events in Jewish history. For example,

3366-453: The Aggadic material from the Talmud. It was intended to familiarize the public with the ethical parts of the Talmud and to dispute many of the accusations surrounding its contents. Geonic -era (6th-11th centuries) commentaries have largely been lost, but are known to exist from partial quotations in later medieval and early modern texts. Because of this, it is known that now-lost commentaries on

3465-407: The Hebrew Bible . The tradition that the number is 613 is first recorded in the 3rd century CE, when Rabbi Simlai claimed it in a sermon, perhaps to make the point that a person should observe the Torah every day with his whole body. Rabbi Simlai gave as a sermon ( darash Rabi Simlai ): 613 commandments were communicated to Moses, 365 negative commands, corresponding to the number of solar days [in

3564-573: The Messianic Age . However, a significant minority of rabbis held that most of the commandments will be nullified by, or in, the messianic era. Examples of such rabbinic views include: There is no accepted authoritative answer within Judaism as to which mitzvot , if any, would be annulled in the Messianic era. This is a subject of theoretical debate and, not being viewed as an immediately practical question,

3663-503: The Mir and Telz yeshivas . See Chaim Rabinowitz § Telshe and Yeshiva Ohel Torah-Baranovich § Style of learning . The text of the Talmud has been subject to some level of critical scrutiny throughout its history. Rabbinic tradition holds that the people cited in both Talmuds did not have a hand in its writings; rather, their teachings were edited into a rough form around 450 CE (Talmud Yerushalmi) and 550 CE (Talmud Bavli.) The text of

3762-663: The Rachem blessing: "Comfort, O God,  the mourners of Zion and the mourners of Jerusalem, and all those who are comforting themselves because of this loss. Comfort away their mourning, and cheer them from their sadness. As it is said, "Just as a man is comforted by his mother, so I will comfort you, and in Jerusalem you will be comforted." Darbolo, among others, also writes that the Boneh blessing should be altered to conclude, "Blessed are you, O Lord, Comforter of Mourners and Builder of Jerusalem", but other authorities disagree. Darbolo also adds

3861-498: The Shabbat is said to testify to the story that Hashem created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day and declared it holy. Chukim ("decrees") are commandments with no known rationale, and are perceived as pure manifestations of the Divine will. The commandments are divided into positive ("thou shalt") and negative ("thou shalt not") commandments. According to Jewish tradition,

3960-728: The Tent of Meeting . Rabbi Akiva , on the other hand, was of the opinion that they were all given on Mount Sinai, repeated in the Tent of Meeting, and declared a third time by Moses before his death. According to the Midrash , all divine commandments were given on Mount Sinai, and no prophet could add any new ones. Out of the 613 Mitzvot mentioned in the Torah, there are six mitzvot which the Sefer Hachinuch calls "constant mitzvot": "We have six mitzvot which are perpetual and constant, applicable at all times, all

4059-419: The mezuzah (Deuteronomy 6:8-9), and the saying of Grace After Meals (Deuteronomy 8:10). Seven notable mitzvot d'rabbanan are as follows: These seven rabbinical commandments are treated like Biblical commandments insofar as, prior to the performance of each, a benediction is recited ("Blessed are You, O L ORD our God, King of the universe, Who has commanded us ..."). In gematria , these seven, added to

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4158-559: The mitzvot as contained in the Written Law (Torah), via discussion and debate in the Oral Law , as recorded in the rabbinic literature of the classical era, especially the Mishnah and the Talmud . The halakha dictates and influences a wide variety of behavior of traditionalist Jews . The majority view of classical rabbis was that the commandments will still be applicable and in force during

4257-467: The 15th and 16th centuries, a new intensive form of Talmud study arose. Complicated logical arguments were used to explain minor points of contradiction within the Talmud. The term pilpul was applied to this type of study. Usage of pilpul in this sense (that of "sharp analysis") harks back to the Talmudic era and refers to the intellectual sharpness this method demanded. Pilpul practitioners posited that

4356-498: The 15th century on, some authorities sought to apply the methods of Aristotelian logic , as reformulated by Averroes . This method was first recorded, though without explicit reference to Aristotle, by Isaac Campanton (d. Spain, 1463) in his Darkhei ha-Talmud ("The Ways of the Talmud"), and is also found in the works of Moses Chaim Luzzatto . According to the present-day Sephardi scholar José Faur , traditional Sephardic Talmud study could take place on any of three levels. In

4455-467: The 18th century, pilpul study waned. Other styles of learning such as that of the school of Elijah b. Solomon, the Vilna Gaon , became popular. The term "pilpul" was increasingly applied derogatorily to novellae deemed casuistic and hairsplitting. Authors referred to their own commentaries as "al derekh ha-peshat" (by the simple method) to contrast them with pilpul. Among Sephardi and Italian Jews from

4554-613: The 613 commandments contain 365 negative commandments and 248 positive commandments. Many commandments concern only special classes of people – such as kings, Kohanim (the priesthood), Levites , or Nazarites  – or are conditioned by local or temporary circumstances of the Jewish nation, as, for instance, the agricultural, sacrificial, and Levitical laws. Some are sex-dependent: for example, women are exempt from certain time-related commandments (such as shofar , sukkah , lulav , tzitzit and tefillin ). Three types of negative commandments fall under

4653-645: The Babylonian community in the years after the redaction of the Talmud and continuing until the Gaonic era. Maimonides claims that all Jewish communities in the Gaonic period formally accepted the Babylonian Talmud as binding, and that in any areas where the two Talmuds conflict, deference is given to the Babylonian opinion. Neither covers the entire Mishnah. For example, the Babylonian commentary only covers 37 of 63 Mishnaic tractates. In particular: The Babylonian Talmud records

4752-724: The Bavli especially was not firmly fixed at that time. Gaonic responsa literature addresses this issue. Teshuvot Geonim Kadmonim, section 78, deals with mistaken biblical readings in the Talmud. This Gaonic responsum states: Birkat Hamazon Birkat Hamazon ( Hebrew : בִּרְכַּת הַמָּזוׂן , romanized :  birkath hammāzôn "The Blessing of the Food"), known in English as the Grace After Meals ( Yiddish : בענטשן , romanized :  benchen "to bless", Yinglish : Bentsching ),

4851-467: The Biblical books themselves), though some may have made private notes ( megillot setarim ), for example, of court decisions. This situation changed drastically due to the Roman destruction of the Jewish commonwealth and the Second Temple in the year 70 and the consequent upheaval of Jewish social and legal norms. As the rabbis were required to face a new reality—mainly Judaism without a Temple (to serve as

4950-409: The Mishnah) and the Midrash halakha (specifically Mekhilta, Sifra and Sifre ). Some baraitot , however, are known only through traditions cited in the Gemara, and are not part of any other collection. In addition to the six Orders, the Talmud contains a series of short treatises of a later date, usually printed at the end of Seder Nezikin. These are not divided into Mishnah and Gemara. The work

5049-423: The Talmud and we do not use any of these variations. The practice of a cup of blessing is mentioned in the Talmud , and technically it can be done anytime Birkat Hamazon is recited, even by an individual. However, common practice is to use a cup only when there is a zimmun , in which case the person leading the zimmun recites the blessings over the cup of wine called the kos shel beracha (cup of blessing). It

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5148-502: The Talmud could contain no redundancy or contradiction whatsoever. New categories and distinctions ( hillukim ) were therefore created, resolving seeming contradictions within the Talmud by novel logical means. In the Ashkenazi world the founders of pilpul are generally considered to be Jacob Pollak (1460–1541) and Shalom Shachna . This kind of study reached its height in the 16th and 17th centuries when expertise in pilpulistic analysis

5247-574: The Talmud runs to a length of 2,711 double-sided folios . Talmud translates as "instruction, learning", from the Semitic root lmd , meaning "teach, study". Originally, Jewish scholarship was oral and transferred from one generation to the next. Rabbis expounded and debated the Torah (the written Torah expressed in the Hebrew Bible) and discussed the Tanakh without the benefit of written works (other than

5346-597: The Talmud was compiled appears to have been forgotten at least by the second half of the Middle Ages, when estimates between the 3rd century BCE to the 9th century CE are suggested in the Wikkuah , a text that records the debates that took place in the Disputation of Paris (also known as the "Trial of the Talmud") which took place in 1240. A wide range of dates have been proposed for the Babylonian Talmud by historians. The text

5445-402: The Talmud were written by Paltoi Gaon, Sherira , Hai Gaon , and Saadya (though in this case, Saadiya is not likely to be the true author). Of these, the commentary of Paltoi ben Abaye ( c. 840) is the earliest. His son, Zemah ben Paltoi paraphrased and explained the passages which he quoted; and he composed, as an aid to the study of the Talmud, a lexicon which Abraham Zacuto consulted in

5544-460: The Talmud, has become a classic. Sections in the commentary covering a few tractates (Pes, BB and Mak) were completed by his students, especially Judah ben Nathan , and a sections dealing with specific tractates (Ned, Naz, Hor and MQ) of the commentary that appear in some print editions of Rashi's commentary today were not composed by him. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, a genre of rabbinic literature emerged surrounding Rashi's commentary, with

5643-412: The advent of modernity , in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to "all Jewish thought and aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews. Above all, the Talmud is a commentary on the Mishnah , primarily written in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic . It contains the teachings and opinions of thousands of rabbis on

5742-546: The beginning and special ha-Rachaman prayers are inserted. In the Western Ashkenazic rite, the Zimmun is recited as normal without any additions, but a long piyyut from Ephraim of Bonn is inserted in the middle of the second blessing; special ha-Rachaman prayers are added, but they are different from those of the Eastern Ashkenazic rite. According to Isaac ben Dorbolo , a mourner is not counted for zimmun or minyan on

5841-453: The center of teaching and study) and total Roman control over Judaea , without at least partial autonomy—there was a flurry of legal discourse and the old system of oral scholarship could not be maintained. It is during this period that rabbinic discourse began to be recorded in writing. In antiquity, the two major centres of Jewish scholarship were located in Galilee and Babylonia . A Talmud

5940-478: The cover of the bentscher is customized to reflect the event. Some bentschers now feature photography of Israel throughout. There are several services currently available that customize the bentscher using graphics, logos and/or photographs. They often contain other texts such as kiddush and the Shabbat zemirot , in addition to Birkat Hamazon itself. In the early modern era (1563-1780), Birkat Hamazon

6039-404: The days of our lives". In rabbinic thought, the commandments are usually divided into two major groups, positive commandments (obligations) – mitzvot aseh [ מצות עשה ‎] and negative commandments (prohibitions) – mitzvot lo ta'aseh [ מצות לא תעשה ‎]. The system describing the practical application of the commandments is known as Halakha . Halakha is the development of

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6138-651: The development of the Jewish Law in the Holy Land. It was also an important primary source for the study of the Babylonian Talmud by the Kairouan school of Chananel ben Chushiel and Nissim ben Jacob , with the result that opinions ultimately based on the Jerusalem Talmud found their way into both the Tosafot and the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides . Ethical maxims contained in the Jerusalem Talmud are scattered and interspersed in

6237-461: The explanations of Tosafot differ from those of Rashi. Among the founders of the Tosafist school were Rabbeinu Tam , who was a grandson of Rashi, and, Rabbenu Tam's nephew, Isaac ben Samuel . The Tosafot commentaries were collected in different editions in the various schools. The benchmark collection of Tosafot for Northern France was that of Eliezer of Touques . The standard collection for Spain

6336-426: The fifteenth century. Saadia Gaon is said to have composed commentaries on the Talmud, aside from his Arabic commentaries on the Mishnah. The first surviving commentary on the entire Talmud is that of Chananel ben Chushiel . Many medieval authors also composed commentaries focusing on the content of specific tractates, including Nissim ben Jacob and Gershom ben Judah . The commentary of Rashi , covering most of

6435-456: The first day of mourning. When birkat hamazon takes place in a shiva house, the ordinary call to prayer is replaced with "Let us bless the Comforter of Mourners, of whose food we have eaten," and congregants respond with "Blessed be the Comforter of Mourners, of whose food we have eaten, and by whose produce do we live. According to Isaac ben Darbolo, an additional prayer should be added after

6534-467: The first two meals of Shabbat and major holidays (with the possible exception of the Rosh Hashanah day meal or other Festival meals for women), one must repeat the entire Birkat Hamazon. At later meals, or on Rosh Chodesh or Chol Hamoed , nothing need be done. If one forgets al ha-Nissim , one does not repeat Birkat Hamazon, although one recites a special Harachaman toward the very end, followed by

6633-468: The form or appearance of bread ( torisa d'nahama ), in which case a blessing that summarizes the first three blessings ( birkat me'ein shalosh ) is recited instead. It is a matter of rabbinic dispute whether Birkat Hamazon must be said after eating certain other bread-like foods such as pizza . Except in teaching situations, Birkat Hamazon is typically read individually after ordinary meals. The blessing can be found in almost all siddurs and

6732-565: The grace and the Cup of Blessing will pass to King David , who will accept the honour. The giving of thanks for the food received dates back to the first Jewish Patriarch, Abraham. A Midrash says that his tent for hospitality had openings on all four sides. He invited guests to bless the Heavenly source of the food. If they refused, he told them that they would have to pay 10 gold coins for bread, ten for wine and ten for hospitality. To their amazement for

6831-438: The group responds "Blessed is HaShem our God, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." When 1000 are present, the leader of the Zimmun says "Let us bless HaShem our God, the God of Israel, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived", and the crowd responds, "Blessed is HaShem our God, the God of Israel, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." When at least 10000 are present,

6930-409: The heart are two abettors to the crime. The final redaction of the text was in the late fourth or early fifth century, once Christianity had become the state religion of the Roman Empire and Jerusalem. Just as wisdom has made a crown for one's head, so, too, humility has made a sole for one's foot. Despite its incomplete state, the Jerusalem Talmud remains an indispensable source of knowledge of

7029-435: The invitation. A Zimmun of 10 is called a Zimmun B'Shem . The Talmud states that women are obligated to say birkat hamazon and that accordingly, three women can constitute a zimmun and lead it. Accordingly, the Shulchan Aruch rules that three women may choose to make a zimmun among themselves, but are not required to do so. However, ten women cannot make the Zimmun B'Shem , and men and women cannot combine to form

7128-477: The joy of the occasion are added to the zimmun (invitation to grace) beginning with Devai Haser ; in all communities Sheha-Simchah bi-m'ono is added. At the conclusion of birkat hamazon , a further seven special blessings are recited. While the seven blessings can only be recited with Panim Chadashot (new people who hadn't been at previous celebrations) and in the presence of a minyan, Devai Haser can be recited even without these requirements as long as there

7227-405: The late 19th century another trend in Talmud study arose. Hayyim Soloveitchik (1853–1918) of Brisk (Brest-Litovsk) developed and refined this style of study. Brisker method involves a reductionistic analysis of rabbinic arguments within the Talmud or among the Rishonim , explaining the differing opinions by placing them within a categorical structure. The Brisker method is highly analytical and

7326-508: The leader of the zimmun says "Let us bless Hashem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells among the cherubim , of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived," and the multitude responds, "Blessed is Hashem our God, the God of Israel, who dwells among the cherubim, of Whose we have eaten, and of Whose goodness we have lived." However, the Shulchan Aruch rules like the other opinion in

7425-620: The legal discussions throughout the several treatises, many of which differ from those in the Babylonian Talmud. The Babylonian Talmud ( Talmud Bavli ) consists of documents compiled over the period of late antiquity (3rd to 6th centuries). During this time, the most important of the Jewish centres in Mesopotamia , a region called " Babylonia " in Jewish sources (see Talmudic academies in Babylonia ) and later known as Iraq , were Nehardea , Nisibis (modern Nusaybin ), Mahoza ( al-Mada'in , just to

7524-478: The need to ascertain the Halakha (Jewish rabbinical law). Early commentators such as Isaac Alfasi (North Africa, 1013–1103) attempted to extract and determine the binding legal opinions from the vast corpus of the Talmud. Alfasi's work was highly influential, attracted several commentaries in its own right and later served as a basis for the creation of halakhic codes. Another influential medieval Halakhic work following

7623-734: The opinions of the rabbis of the Ma'arava (the West, meaning Israel) as well as of those of Babylonia, while the Jerusalem Talmud seldom cites the Babylonian rabbis. The Babylonian version also contains the opinions of more generations because of its later date of completion. For both these reasons, it is regarded as more comprehensive. The structure of the Talmud follows that of the Mishnah, in which six orders ( sedarim ; singular: seder ) of general subject matter are divided into 60 or 63 tractates ( masekhtot ; singular: masekhet ) of more focused subject compilations, though not all tractates have Gemara. Each tractate

7722-592: The order of the Babylonian Talmud, and to some extent modelled on Alfasi, was "the Mordechai ", a compilation by Mordechai ben Hillel ( c. 1250–1298). A third such work was that of Asher ben Yechiel (d. 1327). All these works and their commentaries are printed in the Vilna and many subsequent editions of the Talmud. A 15th-century Spanish rabbi, Jacob ibn Habib (d. 1516), compiled the Ein Yaakov , which extracts nearly all

7821-576: The paragraph Bimei , which describes the respective holidays. If this prayer is also forgotten, nothing need be done. However, according to some, one needs to repeat Birkat Hamazon if they forget al ha-Nissim at the Purim Seudah. When birkat hamazon takes place at the Sheva Brachot (seven blessings) following a traditional Jewish marriage , in Ashkenazic communities special opening lines reflecting

7920-636: The period of the Amoraim (rabbis cited in the Gemara) beginning around the year 200. A second Aramaic dialect is used in Nedarim , Nazir , Temurah , Keritot , and Me'ilah ; the second is closer in style to the Targum . The oldest full manuscript of the Talmud, known as the Munich Talmud (Codex Hebraicus 95), dates from 1342 and is available online. Manuscripts of the Talmud are as follows: The exact date at which

8019-460: The process that produced this commentarial tradition are known as the Amoraim . Each discussion is presented in a self-contained, edited passage known as a sugya . Much of the Gemara is legal in nature. Each analysis begins with a Mishnaic legal statement. With each sugya, the statement may be analyzed and compared with other statements. This process can be framed as an exchange between two (often anonymous, possibly metaphorical) disputants, termed

8118-691: The purpose of supplementing it and addressing internal contradictions via the technique of pilpul . This genre of commentary is known as the Tosafot and focuses on specific passages instead of a running continuous commentary across the entire Talmud. Many Talmudic passages are difficult to understand, sometimes owing to the use of Greek or Persian loanwords whose meaning had become obscure. A major area of Talmudic scholarship developed to explain these passages and words. Some early commentators such as Rabbenu Gershom of Mainz (10th century) and Rabbenu Ḥananel (early 11th century) produced running commentaries to various tractates. These commentaries could be read with

8217-490: The rabbis debating a subject; or recording only an unattributed ruling, apparently representing a consensus view. The rabbis recorded in the Mishnah are known as the Tannaim (literally, "repeaters", or "teachers"). These tannaim—rabbis of the second century CE--"who produced the Mishnah and other tannaic works, must be distinguished from the rabbis of the third to fifth centuries, known as amoraim (literally, "speakers"), who produced

8316-420: The self-sacrificial principle yehareg ve'al ya'avor , meaning "One should let oneself be killed rather than violate it". These are murder , idolatry , and forbidden sexual relations . For all other commandments, one must violate the commandment if the only alternative is to be killed. According to Rabbi Ishmael , only the principal commandments were given on Mount Sinai , the remainder having been given in

8415-642: The south of what is now Baghdad ), Pumbedita (near present-day al Anbar Governorate ), and the Sura Academy , probably located about 60 km (37 mi) south of Baghdad. The Babylonian Talmud comprises the Mishnah and the Babylonian Gemara, the latter representing the culmination of more than 300 years of analysis of the Mishnah in the Talmudic Academies in Babylonia. The foundations of this process of analysis were laid by Abba Arika (175–247),

8514-708: The table of the All-Present , blessed be He..." There is a practice in many Orthodox communities to wash the hands before reciting birkat hamazon . This practice is called mayim acharonim (final waters). While the Talmud and Shulchan Aruch rule this practice to be obligatory, Tosafot and other sources rule it to be unnecessary in current circumstances, and thus many do not perform the practice. Bentschers ( / ˈ b ɛ n tʃ ər / ; or benchers , birkhonim , birkhon , birchon , birchonim ) are small Birkat Hamazon booklets usually handed out at bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings and other celebratory events. Traditionally,

8613-476: The text likely trace to this time regardless of the date of the final redaction/compilation. Additional external evidence for a latest possible date for the composition of the Babylonian Talmud are the uses of it by external sources, including the Letter of Baboi (mid-8th century), Seder Tannaim veAmoraim (9th century) and a 10th-century letter by Sherira Gaon addressing the formation of the Babylonian Talmud. As for

8712-611: The text of the Talmud and would help explain the meaning of the text. Another important work is the Sefer ha-Mafteaḥ (Book of the Key) by Nissim Gaon , which contains a preface explaining the different forms of Talmudic argumentation and then explains abbreviated passages in the Talmud by cross-referring to parallel passages where the same thought is expressed in full. Commentaries ( ḥiddushim ) by Joseph ibn Migash on two tractates, Bava Batra and Shevuot, based on Ḥananel and Alfasi, also survive, as does

8811-465: The three members of an ordinary zimmun . If three men and three women are present, the three men make the zimmun , and the women are required to answer to it. According to the one opinion in the Talmud , there are special versions of the zimmun if birkat hamazon is said by at least 100, 1000 or 10000 seated at one meal. When 100 are present, the leader says "Blessed is HaShem our God, of Whose we have eaten and of Whose goodness we have lived", and

8910-460: The two Talmudim and other amoraic works". Since it sequences its laws by subject matter instead of by biblical context, the Mishnah discusses individual subjects more thoroughly than the Midrash , and it includes a much broader selection of halakhic subjects than the Midrash. The Mishnah's topical organization thus became the framework of the Talmud as a whole. But not every tractate in the Mishnah has

9009-555: The ultimate purpose of the mitzvah , while rejecting the mitzvah itself. The feminine noun mitzvah ( מִצְוָה ) occurs over 180 times in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible . The first use is in Genesis 26:5 where God says that Abraham has "obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments ( מִצְוֹתַי mitzvotai ), my statutes, and my laws". In the Septuagint

9108-488: The word is usually translated with entolē ( ἐντολή ). In Second Temple period funeral inscriptions the epithet phil-entolos , "lover of the commandments", was sometimes inscribed on Jewish tombs. Other words are also used in Hebrew for commands and statutes; the Ten Commandments (עשרת הדיברות), for example, are the "Ten Words". Jewish tradition states that there exist 613 commandments. This number does not appear in

9207-455: The wording varies. In particular, the Italian version preserves the ancient practice of commencing the third blessing with Nachamenu on Shabbat, and concluding "Menachem ami Yisrael be-vinyan Yerushalayim. Additional sections are added on special occasions. If one forgets Retzei or ya'aleh ve-Yavo , one inserts a short blessing before the fourth blessing. If this is also forgotten, then at

9306-523: The words, al yechasrenu . After these four blessings, there is a series of short prayers, each beginning with the word Harachaman (the Merciful One), which ask for God's compassion. There are several known texts for birkat hamazon . The most widely available is the Ashkenazic . There are also Sephardic , Yemenite and Italian versions. All of these texts follow the same structure described above, but

9405-430: Was Rabbenu Asher 's Tosefot haRosh. The Tosafot that are printed in the standard Vilna edition of the Talmud are an edited version compiled from the various medieval collections, predominantly that of Touques. A recent project, Halacha Brura , founded by Abraham Isaac Kook , presents the Talmud and a summary of the halachic codes side by side, so as to enable the "collation" of Talmud with resultant Halacha. During

9504-399: Was compiled in each of these regional centres. The earlier of the two compilations took place in Galilee, either in the late fourth or early fifth century, and it came to be known as the Jerusalem Talmud (or Talmud Yerushalmi ). Later on, and likely some time in the sixth century, the Babylonian Talmud was compiled. This later Talmud is usually what is being referred to when the word "Talmud"

9603-665: Was considered an art form and became a goal in and of itself within the yeshivot of Poland and Lithuania. But the popular new method of Talmud study was not without critics; already in the 15th century, the ethical tract Orhot Zaddikim ("Paths of the Righteous" in Hebrew) criticized pilpul for an overemphasis on intellectual acuity. Many 16th- and 17th-century rabbis were also critical of pilpul. Among them are Judah Loew ben Bezalel (the Maharal of Prague), Isaiah Horowitz , and Yair Bacharach . By

9702-435: Was most likely completed, however, in the 6th century, or prior to the early Muslim conquests in 643–636 CE at the latest, on the basis that the Talmud lacks loanwords or syntax deriving from Arabic . Recently, it has been extensively argued that Talmud is an expression and product of Sasanian culture, as well as other Greek - Roman , Middle Persian , and Syriac sources up to the same period of time. The contents of

9801-521: Was used the title for a book that included a wider variety of prayers that are not part of the daily prayer routine, such as the wedding ceremony and eruv tavshilin , in addition to Birkat Hamazon and kiddush and zemirot. The Talmud relates that at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead , a special feast will take place. Abraham , Isaac , Jacob , Moses and Joshua will all claim unworthiness to lead

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