The Religions Book

182

RELIGIOUS LAW

CAN BE APPLIED

T O D A I L Y L I F E

WRITING THE ORAL LAW

J

ewish tradition maintains

that God gave Moses a body

of laws and teachings, which

he passed on to the people of Israel

(pp.168–75). Many of these are

recorded in the first five books

of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah,

but some Jews also believe

that Moses received additional

teachings (transmitted verbally to

the community’s leaders, and then

from generation to generation),

which became known as the Oral

Law. This Oral Law included

additional details about, and

interpretations of, the biblical laws.

From the 2nd century CE, Jewish

rabbis (a word meaning “scholars”

or “teachers”) set out to record the

Oral Law. The result was a large

new body of literature. Many of

the rabbis’ writings are collected

in a set of books called the

Talmud which, for observant

Jews, is the most important and

authoritative religious text after

the Bible itself.

Part of the reason the Oral

Law is important is that the Bible’s

laws are frequently ambiguous.

For example, the Bible prohibits

working on the Sabbath, but it

does not explain what kind of

work is prohibited. The Talmud

IN CONTEXT

KEY TEXT

The Talmud

WHEN AND WHERE

2nd–5th century CE,

Palestine and Babylonia

BEFORE

140 BCE –70 CE The Pharisees

espouse belief in an Oral Law.

2nd century CE Rebellions

against Roman rule prompt

the destruction of many of the

Yeshivot (places for the study

of the Torah); Rabbis write

down the Oral Law.

AFTER

11th century CE Rabbi

Solomon ben Isaac (Rashi)

produces a commentary on

the Talmud, which becomes

standard in printed editions.

c.1170–80 The Jewish

philosopher Maimonides

composes the Mishneh

Torah, a work describing

and reviewing the laws

mentioned in the Torah.

Each page of the Talmud holds

the text of the Mishnah—a

Hebrew account of the Oral Law

The text of the Mishnah is

explained and discussed in

the surrounding Gemara.

Texts of the Mishnah and

Gemara are then surrounded

by other layers of text

and commentaries from

a later period.

The text of the Talmud

is a discussion.

Its arguments guide the reader

to the kernel of the truth.