Jerusalem Talmud

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The Jerusalem Talmud (In Hebrew Talmud Yerushalmi, in short known as the Yerushalmi), also known as the Palestinian Talmud, like its Babylonian counterpart (see Babylonian Talmud), is a collection of Rabbinic discussions elaborating on the Mishnah. The Jerusalem Talmud predates the Babylonian by about 200 years. Whereas the Babylonian Talmud uses a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic, the Yerushalmi is almost entirely in Hebrew. Because the Babylonian Talmud is a later work from the same era (see Amoraim), it is seen as more authoritaive and studied much more than the Yerushalmi. Because of this, when people refer to the Talmud, it is assumed they are referring to the Babylonian unless otherwise specified.

Contents

1 Historical context
2 Comparison to Babylonian Talmud
3 Translations into English
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Historical context

Like the Babylonian Talmud, the purpose of the Jerusalem Talmud was to elaborate on the Jewish Oral tradition as detailed in the 2nd-century Mishnah, following whose redaction many Jewish scholars living in Roman-controlled Palestine moved to Persia due to the harsh decrees against Jews enacted by the emperor Hadrian after the Bar Kokhba's revolt. The remaining scholars who lived in the Galilee area decided to continue their teachings in the learning centers that had been around since Mishnaic times.

Comparison to Babylonian Talmud

Without the time and freedom given to the production of the Babylonian Talmud, the Jerusalem Talmud exhibits less coherence in its discussions, making it often a difficult work to understand. It is more abstruse in language and it differs from the Babylonian Talmud in language (being written in Western, rather than Eastern Aramaic), style, legal argumentation, and scope.

The Jerusalem Talmud naturally has a greater focus on the Land of Israel and the Torah's agricultural laws pertaining to the land because it was written in the Land of Israel were the laws applied. Nonetheless, it lacks the order of Kodshim, which deals with sacrificial rites and the Temple, laws that were not directly applicable following the 70CE destruction of the Second Temple, although the Babylonian Talmud does examine this content. In both talmuds, only one tractate of Tohorot is examined, since it also deals with Temple-related laws of ritual purity.

The Babylonian Talmud has traditionally been studied more widely and has had greater influence on the halakhic tradition than the Jerusalem Talmud. A notable exception is the Romaniotes, who traditionally follow and learn the Jerusalem Talmud.

With the Jewish return to the land of Israel in modern times, the Jerusalem Talmud has taken on greater relevance and popularity with talmudic and rabbinical scholars. Modern scholars of the 19th and 20th centuries turned to the Yerushalmi as an invaluable source for the history of Judaism in late antiquity and the development of rabbinic law.

Translations into English

Talmud of the Land of Israel: A Preliminary Translation and Explanation Jacob Neusner, Tzvee Zahavy, others. University of Chicago Press. This translation uses a form-analytical presentation which makes the logical units of discourse easier to identify and follow.

Schottenstein Edition of the Yerushalmi Talmud Mesorah/Artscroll. This translation is the counterpart to Mesorah/Artscroll's Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud (i.e. Babylonian Talmud). [Mesorah/Artscroll's website for the Schottenstein Edition of the Yerushalmi Talmud]

References

The Yerushalmi--The Talmud of the Land of Israel: An Introduction, Jacob Neusner, Jason Aronson, 1992. ISBN 0876688121
[The Palestinian Talmud], Jewish Encyclopedia
[What is Talmud Yerushalmi?], faqs.org
[Jewish History: Talmud], Aish.com
[The Jerusalem Talmud], ORT
[Talmud/Mishna/Gemara], Jewish Virtual Library
[Jewish Law Research Guide], University of Miami Law Library
[A survey of Rabbinic Literature], Ohr Somayach

External links

[Jerusalem Talmud Full Text], mechon-mamre.org