The Talmud: Difference between revisions

The existence of an "oral" Torah was a hotly contested issue before the Roman conquest of Judah; the Sadducees (an extinct political/religious entity tied to the priesthood and Hasamonean kings of Judah) vigorously denied any oral law. Their opponents, the Pharisees (the ancestors of modern-day rabbinical Judaism) accepted the oral law. Today, there are still groups of Jews (Karaites, and the dwindling Samaritan community) that reject the validity of the Talmud.

 

 

* [[Anachronic Order]]: Although Berachos is usually shown as the first tractate, every single tractate cross-references others. Often you will see tractate A assuming you are familiar with tractate B ''and vice versa''. Even within single tractates (e.g. Makkot), sometimes the first part of a chapter will discuss minutiae of a law, while the law itself is not actually given until later on.

** Some say this is why the first page of each tractate is ''page 2'' (bet) rather than page 1 (alef). They say that the Talmud really has no beginning or end, so you need to keep that in mind before going in. Others simply say that page 1 is the cover page.

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: The Jerusalem Talmud as compared to the Babylonian Talmud. Comparable stories are often more intense and explicit. Technically the Jerusalem Talmud predates the Babylonian Talmud, making the latter [[Lighter and Softer]], but most people start studying with the Babylonian, and many never come to the Jerusalem.

* [[Ho Yay]]: Rabbi Yohanan and Resh Lakish in Bava Metzia 84a. Resh Lakish sees Rabbi Yohanan bathing in the Jordan, thinks he's a woman, and pole vaults the river on his lance. When he discovers his gender mistake, he says to Rabbi Yohanan, "Your beauty for women!". They become at the very least [[Heterosexual Life Partners]], and brothers-in-law to boot, as Resh Lakish marries Rabbi Yohanan's sister.

* [[Jesus Was Way Cool]]: Averted and inverted; none of the Talmud editions have much good to say about him, and some specifically say (in Gittin 57) that he's being [[Fire and Brimstone Hell|punished in Hell]] for [[Values Dissonance|being an apostate]].

* [[Trickster Archetype]]: Yehudit. In b. Yemavot 65b, she doesn't wish to have any more children after a difficult birth, but knows that her husband, Rabbi Hiyya, is not thrilled with the idea. So she disguises herself and comes before Hiyya seeking legal advice. She asks if women are commanded in procreation. Hiyya answers that they are not, and so having received legal approval from her husband of all people, she drinks a sterilizing drug. Rabbi Hiyya is not amused.

* [[Watering Down]]: It claims that in ancient Israel and Babylonia, wine was made so strong that it was actually undrinkable unless mixed with water in a ratio of about 2 parts water to 1 part wine.

** And Niddah has all you ever wanted to know about menstruation.

** The holy books are where you learn [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|all the cool things your parents would never let you read otherwise]]. Dina and Tamar and all those concubines, oh my!

 

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[[Category:Classic Literature]]

[[Category:Literature]]