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Rabbinic Literature

Rabbinic literature includes everything that was written by the rabbis of the Middle Ages to today. The Jews traditionally distinguished Sifrout ' Hazal ("literature of our Sages, of blessed memory"), covering the development period of the Mishna at the close of the Talmud , the rabbinical writings subsequent rabbinic literature itself. The academic definition of the term does the opposite as the Talmud , the Midrash and satellite works, and excludes the works of composition later.

Summary

Compilations of the Oral Law

The Mishna and Tosefta , two texts compiled from sources prior to the second century , are the oldest known works of rabbinical literature. They deal with the oral law of Judaism.

From them are developed both Talmud , the Jerusalem Talmud , about 450 CE and the Babylonian Talmud , about 600 CE, as well as treated "minor" adjacent to the Babylonian Talmud

The Midrash

Midrash means in Hebrew explore a text (Bible), the request to, usually to establish at what such a law text was derived.

The structures adjacent to what is called the midrashic literature does not however include all interpretations of the Bible, but only those whose goal is not prescriptive, the aggadah , most have not been included in the Talmud.

Midrashim various compilations are also called Midrash (Midrash Rabba, Midrash Tanchuma, etc..), And take the aspect of homiletical essays, allegorical or legal Bible.

Later works

Period Geonim

The Geonim are directors of Talmudic academies of Sura and Pumbedita to Babylon ( 650 - 1250 ). Their great authority allows them to edit taqanot, amendments to the halakha as reflected in the Talmud. The bulk of their business is to comment on the Talmud and Halakha discuss. We owe them a lot of responsibility , but also organizing the ritual works (Siddur of lssadr, organizing), including that of Amram Gaon The bulk of their business is to comment on the Talmud and Halacha to discuss. We owe them a lot of responsibility , but also organizing the ritual works (Siddur of lessadr, organizing), including that of Amram Gaon

Saadia Gaon , arguably the greatest Geonim influenced by Kalam theologians, especially Mutazilites , do not disdain the study of philosophy, or Jewish mysticism.
However, his most important achievement is undoubtedly his commentary on the Torah. Wrote in a polemic, in the context of a close contest with Karaites , heterodox exegesis Judaism advocating free text (Mikra) and rejecting the authority of the Talmud, who collected before his speech an unqualified success in all Jewish communities.
We can say that the Commentary on the Torah of Saadia Gaon influence all subsequent generations.

Period of the Rishonim

The Rishonim are wise Medieval ( 1250 - 1 550 ), most of the rabbis. Living in exile, while the Babylonian center declines, it is their responsibility to keep Judaism alive.

Judaism hinging on the Talmud, their task will be to highlight the rules of all accounts extranormatifs therein. It will follow two divergent paths that will shape the rituals of what became Judaism Sephardic Jews and Ashkenazi.

Sephardic side, there is no real solution of continuity between the period of the Rishonim and Geonim: Isaac Alfasi is regarded as effecting the transition between two eras. His major work, Hilkhot Harif translated his vision of the thing: it fetches in the true sense, the rules of the Talmud into a code. This is the path that will follow Maimonides ( Yad Hahazaka ), Yaakov ben Asher ( Arbaa Turim ), and Yosef Karo , whose masterful Shulchan Aruch fix the term of the Rishonim period.

Meanwhile, intense grammatical and philological studies are emerging in the wake of Dunash ibn Labrat , a pupil of Saadia Gaon, under the influence of the Muslim environment. Under this same influence bloom the poetry and philosophy , with Moses ibn Ezra , Judah Halevi , ... In Provence , Moshe haDarshan composed his Yesod, compilation of Midrashim on the Torah.

Often, control of the Jewish tradition, laws, poetry, philosophy will find themselves in one person: it is the time of Solomon ibn Gabirol , Judah ibn Hayyuj, and these great figures of Judaism that were Maimonides , Ramban , Gersonides , Abravanel , ...

The study of Kabbalah , Jewish mysticism propagated it seems from the communities of Provence, experiencing a resurgence apparent after the expulsion of Jews from the land of Spain , which some were drawn from the destruction of the Second Temple in 1492.

Ashkenazi side, led by Italian scholars, there is a revivescence Judaism. The optics are different: in order to establish a correct text (shared concern with Christian scholars of the Middle Ages who wanted to establish an indisputable text of Vulgate ), we wish to explain consistently both in structure in place that takes in all. Thus were born the first comments from the Talmud, at the instigation of Rabbeinu Gershom followed Rashi and his disciples tossafists. Rashi , perhaps the greatest scholar of the post-Talmudic, and best known, begins the task of commenting not only encyclopedic almost all of the Talmud (some sections of it being granted is the fact of his followers under his supervision likely), but also the Tanakh emphasizing the simple meaning of the verses, addressed to the beginner as the scholar. His impact on Judaism is enormous: any comments on the Torah or the Talmud in his post is a super-commentary to one degree or another. It will set many laws, most known for the controversy over the arrangement of texts in the tefillin.

It is also in the Ashkenazi world in France was born Nizza'hon literature, arguments to be used during an argument following the argument of Paris won by Rabbeinu Yechiel , who nonetheless ended by the Cremation the Talmud in 1242. This event was the cause of an interesting codex written by Moses of Coucy , Sefer Mitzvot HaGadol or SMAG to safeguard the halakhic teaching of the Talmud. This codex was a great success in the Jewish world, before being eclipsed by the Mishna Torah of Maimonides

The works of this period cover virtually all areas of Judaism:

Period Aharonim

The Aharonim are the rabbis of 1550 until today. The great work of translating the Talmud in legal terms has been achieved, it only remained for them to do anything, one might think.
Error! In Europe, this period saw the most significant changes had been Judaism: the Haskalah , who accompanied the scientific revolution, which for the first time, the Jews stood out openly about their religion and their practices, the ghettos and pogroms ; the emergence of socialist ideologies, Zionists, and the major religious movements such as Hasidism , and Mussar.
The East was not left out: this time was more than any other, that of Kabbalistic studies (including Hasidism is an extension), messianic expectations, but also false Messiahs , the most famous is Sabbatai Tzvi

Areas of activity remained mostly unchanged. Thus, we find:

To perpetuate the memory, the field of Jewish historiography develops. We distinguish among them the controversial Azzaria dei Rossi , Abraham Zaccuto David Ganz (disciple of the Maharal and assistant Tycho Brahe ) and Chaim Joseph David Azulai (the 'Hida).

Subsequent books by category

Jewish law

The Halacha (literally, way to go) rule all levels of existence of the Jewish (practicing) The main works consist

  • Monographs
  • codes halakhic (Jewish law)
  • The Responsa of rabbinical authorities over the ages. Some have given their time so they took the form of letters.

Jewish Thought

One could say, in a somewhat simplistic, the entire Jewish tradition was long thought that since the Jews received the Torah to Moses on Sinai. The works of Jewish thought are in some way those whose goal is not to fix or understand the halakha, but the world in general or relating to others.

Liturgy

Mefarshim

The term means mefarshim Hebrew "commentators" or " scholars ", it being understood that this word refers only rabbinic commentators, and is used interchangeably with Perushim," comments ". Are called mefarshim all the commentators, they comment on the Torah , the Tanakh , the Mishnah , the Talmud , the responsibility , the siddur , etc..

Great commentators of the Torah and / or the Talmud :

The classical commentaries on the Talmud were written by Rashi, on the model of Rabbeinu Gershom Rabbeinu and Hananel. After him came the Tosafot (not to be confused with Tosefta), commentary on the Talmud, written collectively by students of Rashi and his descendants during the three centuries that followed. These comments, including classic editions of the Talmud contain only a plot came from the discussions in the rabbinic academies of Germany and France.

Modern commentaries on the Siddur:

Related articles

External Links

Jewish Religious Literature

Rabbinic Literature
Literature of the Sages Mishnah Tosefta Baraita Gemara Talmud of Babylon and Jerusalem Minor Treatment Midrash Targum
Talmud Babli bokhylle.jpg
Later medieval literature and Responsa codes and compilations of Jewish law exegesis Philosophy Ethics Kabbalah

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