The first step is to understand the Mishnah. Once you do that you’re ready to go on to the next step: The Gemara. You have to know all the vocabulary inside the Gemara and problems they’re trying to deal with. Once you know that it’s all a matter of review and help by the commentaries to help you understand the deeper meaning behind all this.
It’s important because it helps us deal with the halachot that we deal with everyday and it gives it a deeper meaning and now we will be able to understand the halachot and the reason behind them better and more clearly.
The following next two paragraphs I found on the web and I think they are very important and well written.
When you start
looking into any of the Commentaries, see exactly which part of the Gemara is
being explained. Look into what the Commentator adds and what is the exact
wording of the Gemara. Understand the Commentaries intention. Is the
Commentator fixing up the language, explaining a subject, or answering a
question? Is the Commentator working on a problem or guarding you from another
way of explaining the Gemara? Check if there is a difference between the
Commentator's text and the one in your Gemara. After you know their intention
or their explanation, examine it carefully and see what you would have thought
without their explanation. Then you will know what Rashi guarded himself against
or what explanation he rejected.
The correct way to
learn is first to derive everything you can from the Gemara, and then research
the Commentaries. See whether or not what you understood agrees with Rashi’s
explanation. Then, after you understand what Rashi’s intention is, figure out
what explanation he is avoiding and guarding him from, and what forced him to
explain it this way. Before you understand what Rashi’s intention is and what
he is saying, how can you know what explanation he is rejecting?
In the beginning
you should go over the whole unit, know its intention, and study it in a
general way. Afterwards, go back and look into each part of it, in detail, to
see who is asking the question. Always keep in mind the general concepts, which
you (originally) derived from this section. Then, go over it again
to see if what you have derived fits into the language. Now, you are ready to
delve into the roots and reasoning of the subject, investigating all of its
details and sources, as it says "Then he saw and told it; he prepared and
also searched it." - Iyov 28:27. This means that in the beginning you
should look at it generally. Next, analyze it in your mind, which refers to the
words in the "Pasuk" - and told it."" Then,
return to see if what you have learned fits the language; this is what is meant
by the words "and he prepared it". Afterwards, check to see whether
your explanation is correct. Make sure that you understand the reasoning of the
subject with its sources and roots. This is what is meant by "and also
searched it." Only then does it say: "and He said to the man". Now,
you have a solid understanding of the entire unit.
For more
information about how to learn Talmud you can click on the following websites,
which I personally found.
http://www.hakotel.org.il/cgi-bin/sichadsp.cgi?file=p_pe61bshl.html&tpl=rpedsp
http://ohrnet.org/judaism/articles/talmud.htm
The
Talmud or Gemara is composed in a mixture of Hebrew and Aramaic. The main body of the page is printed in
formal block letters. The beginning of a Gemara passage is followed by the
Mishnah passage. There is then, in Hebrew (GM') printed in large bold letters.
The Talmud as a whole covers every topic imaginable.
A
very intelligent but uneducated in Talmud man asks...
How
do I begin learning Gemara?
Rav Yitzchak Kanpanton answers
this question...
At the beginning of your in-depth examination you should
realize that each one of the speakers involved, the one who asks the questions
and those that answer, are very intelligent people. All their statements are
well thought out. Their words do not show a lack of education or
knowledge. Therefore, you should look
into each of their statements and see if it makes sense. Analyze their words and try to understand
them properly. Make sure that you understand the logic, and that it is not
built on bad reasoning. When you start looking at any of the commentaries,
check exactly which part of the Gemara is being explained. Look at what the
commentator is adding and it will help you understand the Gemara’s intentions.
The correct way to learn is always to first try and understand the Gemara, and
then to look at the commentaries. After you do that, go back over the Gemara to
fit this explanation into the text. Usually you will soon come to a section
where all the rabbi’s are disagreeing.
Do not make light of any problem, difficulty, or questions you have
while you are learning. Do not go
further until you clarify it. Also, do not rely on your own understanding. Ask
your study partner and with their opinion, things usually become clearer. O
CHAVRUTA O METOOTA! (GIVE ME CHAVRUTA OR GIVE ME DEATH!) After you feel that
you completely understand the subject, review it and see if thee is any
question or problem with it. In this
way, what you learned will remain with you forever.
The Gemara is an amazing
book that has taught me, and can teach you so much about life. It is very important in our everyday lives.
It also provides many opinions of our holy Rabbi's about conflicts that we,
ourselves, may go through . That is why
while learning Gemara, it is so important to completely understand the
situation. If you don’t understand
something, never give up! Keep on trying! I love learning Gemara. I can always
apply what I have learned to my every day life. The only thing I do not enjoy
about it is learning syntax and vocabulary!!!
There are many books of
Gemara to learn from. Gemara teaches us
many halachot that apply to our every day life. Talmud takes the laws listed in
the Torah and applies them to different circumstances. As it says on faqs.org:
Gemara actually means
addition because it is the addition to the Mishnah.
Before
opening the Gemara figure out which Gemara you are interested in learning. Then
start reading. To understand what
you’re reading it would be a good idea to try to figure out as best you can
where are the stopping places.
Most
of the words you’ll probably understand because they’re Hebrew. A good tool for learning is Practical
Talmud Dictionary by Rabbi Yitzhak Frank, that can help you understand the
hard words. This dictionary can also tell you the syntax of words. When you know the syntax of a word, the next
time you see it you could know that it introduces a question or other things.
Another
step in learning Gemara and understanding it is breaking up the Gemara lines
into grammatical form. There are
different types: an attacking question, the answer to an attacking question,
regular question, regular answer, a statement, and a proof. An attacking question only appears after a
rabbi’s opinion and the Gemara or another rabbinical source attacks him and his
opinion. Beyond breaking up the Gemara,
the commentaries on the side of the page can help you. Some of the commentaries are Rashi, and Tosphot.
As it says at www.shemayisrael.com : When you start looking into any of the
Commentaries, see exactly which part of the Gemara is being explained. Look
into what the Commentator adds and what is the exact wording of the Gemara.
Understand the Commentaries intention. Is the Commentator fixing up the
language, explaining a subject, or answering a question? Is the Commentator
working on a problem or guarding you from another way of explaining the Gemara?
Check if there is a difference between the Commentator's text and the one in
your Gemara.
For
example the Hagot Habach 98% of the time will change the wording of the Gemara
because it changed over time. The
Gemara itself is like someone’s notes from the halachic discussions, they don’t
have everything so the missing pieces have to be filled in. Once you get used
to how the gemara works and getting a feel for where the lines end and
broadening your gemara vocabulary you’ll be well on your way to understanding the
gemara very easily and it will be a lot of fun!!
The
standard printed Talmud page, spans many centuries of Jewish religious
scholarship, from the Bible to the beginning of the twentieth century and
serves us as a port of departure on a voyage through the history of Jewish
religious literature. However, not many people can look at a page of Gemara and
understand it completely in their first try. So here are some basic steps you
should take when undergoing the study of Talmud:
First,
you should look into the Gemara of the verse by yourself, being very precise in
your “reading” of the text. Try to look for stopping points. This becomes
easier if you look up words you don’t know in the Talmudic dictionary (such as Jastrow
or the Practical
Talmud Dictionary by Rabbi Yitzhak Frank). And when you find words, don’t
only look for their simple meaning, but look at their syntax. When you know the
syntax of words, it easy to know where to stop and start the line.
Now that you know some vocabulary, syntax, and phrasing,
you are ready to decipher the text. In each statement (The Shemya Yisrael website
suggests:) be aware who is speaking, who is answering, who is asking, who
is being asked, and who gives answers. Know their names and do not confuse
Tannas, Amoras, Ravs, and their students. Shema Yisrael goes on to say that is
it important to examine WHY the rabbis made certain statements and asked
certain questions. See what problem might have forced him to make his statement,
why is it a problem to us? And if there appears to be NO problem, why did the
Tanna bother saying it? There must be answers to all these questions, because
nothing in the Torah is ever superfluous or unnecessary.
Do not make light of these problems and other difficulties,
or questions you have while you are learning. Just the opposite—do not go
further until you clarify it. You can do this by looking at the commentaries
(such as Tosafot and Rashi, on the right and left of each Gemara page, hugging
the main text). Rashi’s commentaries cover almost the whole Babylonian Talmud
and Daf Yomi trusts it as one of the best sources to answer our questions. The
reason Daf
Yomi gives, is because Rashi provides and full and adequate explanation of
the words and a logical structure of each Talmudic passage, without sacrificing
brevity and clarity. In addition, Rashi also exerted a decisive influence on
establishing the correct text of the Talmud. He compared different manuscripts
and determined which readings should be preferred.
The Tosafot, another great source for helping in the
understanding of Gemara, is really an addition to the Talmud itself. It focuses
on particular issues and contradictions in the Talmud or in Rashi's commentary,
which they explore in depth—which helps the reader by pointing out intricate
new conceptual and legal distinctions that enhance our understanding of the
text (Explains
the Daf Yomi)
After you have looked at commentaries, go back and fit this
explanation into the text. Go back over the whole unit, know its intention,
then go back and look at each part of it in detail. Now you are ready to delve
into the roots and reasoning of the subject, investigating all of its details
and sources. The Chazon Ish explains that: “As a result of all this toil, a
Gate of New Light will open, wherein the mind will find endless pleasure. Be
careful not to spend too much time explaining the logic. Rather, spend your
time in the Gemara itself, looking over the simplest meaning and clarifying the
end results.
The first step a person should take in order to
learn Gemara, is acquaint your self with the page. Here is a list of the things
that appear on the Gemara page:
1- Mishnah is the first major
transcription of the oral law. Foreseeing the advent of the dispersion of the
Jewish people throughout the world, Rabbi Judah the Prince composed the Mishnah
around the year 200.
2- Gemara is a written record of
analytical discussions of the Mishnah, along with philosophy, ethics, and
practical advice, by the rabbinic authorities who lived between 200 and 500.
3- Rashi explains the difficult terms
and helps students understand the Gemara’s analysis and reasoning.
4- Tosfot are collections of comments
that discuss conceptual issues raised in Gemara and contrast these with the concepts
raised in other Gemara texts.
The
next step you should take to learn Gemara is to read each verse carefully and
get an idea of what you understand. Then consult a Talmudic dictionary and look
up any words you don’t understand.
Then
try to divide up the page into sentences and identify whether or not that
sentence is a Maamar (statement), Kushiah (attacking question), Tarutz
(answer), Basis (proof), Shelah (information question), or Teshuvah (answer).
After you’ve done this, try and figure out what the rabbis are arguing about. In each sentence be aware of who is speaking, who is answering, who is asking, who is being asked, and who gives the answer.
Then, look into the
commentaries such as Rashi and Tosfot and see what their interpretation of the
verse is. Then, take the commentaries and your explanations of the verse and
plug it into the text and see if it makes sense.
Lastly, read over the Gemara one more time to bring
everything together. A website lists the
following steps one should take to learn Gemara. “ In the beginning you should
go over the whole unit, know its intention, and study it in a general way.
Afterwards go back and look into each part of it, in detail, to see who is asking
the question. Always keep in mind the general concepts, which you (originally)
derived from this section. Then go over it again to see if what you have
derived fits into the language,”
I feel that Gemara is very interesting and important to
learn. Many of the teachings we learn out from the arguments in the Gemara
still apply today, in our everyday life. I feel it’s important to understand
the reasons behind the laws we follow. It is for this reason that even though
learning Gemara is difficult and at times frustrating, I feel it’s worthwhile
to learn.
Hi my name is Lindsay Spitz. I have been learning Gemara since the sixth grade. But as in many subjects in elementary school you don’t learn the subject all on your own rather the teacher basically does all the work for you. It wasn’t until ninth grade when Rabbi Pittinsky taught his class how to learn Gemara all on their own.
The ingredients to learn Gemara on your own are, to go to
the nearest Judaic store and purchase a Gemara and the Talmudic dictionary. You
may also need a tanach to look up specific pesukim to get the feel of what you
are learning from. Go home to a quiet room and open the Gemara. You may learn
on your own or with a group of friends- called a chavruta, (but make sure if
you choose to learn with friends that they have the same momentum as you do and
wont disturb your learning).
On your desk have the Gemara open, your handy Talmudic
dictionary and your tanach. Find the spot where you would like to start to
read, preferably the first page of the Gemara, and start to read. Stop where
you believe the sentence makes the most sense. Look where you stopped and find
words that you don’t know the full meaning to and think will help you
understand the sentence.
Open up your handy Talmudic
dictionary and find the word. The way you look up a word in your handy Talmudic
dictionary is by the Hebrew alphabet. Look at the first letter of the word and
flip through the pages until you get to that section that starts with that
letter. Then flip through the pages (the words go Hebrew alphabetical order)
and you will find the word. Once you have successfully found the word, right
across from it will be the meaning. If the handy Talmudic dictionary gives more
than one meaning try to choose the word that will make sense best. Below the
meaning of the word is the syntax of the word. Syntax is the way you use the
word in the sentence. For example meimaty introduces a question and is followed
by an answer.
Once you have looked up all
the words from that sentence that you did not understand go back and read it
again. This time say to yourself, does this sentence make sense where I stopped
and where I put commas? If it does than good for you because people usually do
not know where to stop the first time they read the Gemara, if you said to
yourself this sentence doesn’t make sense where I paused, then go back and try
to find the appropriate spot to stop at. So if you went back and now found the
right spot to stop at then look at the sentence’s explanation.
Try to find what the
sentence exactly means. And to help you, look at our friendly neighbors on the
right and left columns on the page- Rashi and Tosphot. If you found a Rashi or
Tosphot on the sentence you are in the middle of learning then go to step one
and read the commentary to help you understand the line you are reading.
When you start looking into any of the Commentaries, see exactly which part of the Gemara is being explained… Is the Commentator fixing up the language, explaining a subject, or answering a question? Is the Commentator working on a problem or guarding you from another way of explaining the Gemara? Check if there is a difference between the Commentator's text and the one in your Gemara. After you know their intention or their explanation, examine it carefully and see what you would have thought without their explanation… The correct way to learn is first to derive everything you can from the Gemara and then research the Commentaries…
Once you finished reading
the commentary go back to the sentence you are on, read it, explain it to
yourself (using the commentary to help you) and you’ll most probably understand
the line. (If you are having a lot of trouble after trying so hard- call your
neighborhood rabbi, ask your father or anyone that you think will be able to
help you understand the gemara better). Now that you’re done with the first line
go to the next and start all over again from the beginning of the instructions.
You might be thinking to yourself, wow this is a lot of
work, but you can take my word for it,
after time it will come naturally to you. You will be able to open any Gemara,
to any page, and read a sentence, stop in the right exact spot and understand
it perfectly.
"If you want to become
wise, you should increase in sitting." This means, you should spend time
carefully studying the words of the Book. Reviewing it once or twice is not
enough. Rather, study it time after time and each time you go over it you will
see something "new". This is what Chazal meant when they said,
"One who learns 100 times is not like the one who learns 101 times."
Another possible explanation is that you should spend less time with your
business dealings and more time concentrating on your learning. Included in
this is, not letting yourself be distracted while you are learning, as Chazal
have said, ("not everyone who increases his business dealings becomes
wise.")
Gemara in school is very
important for many reasons. One in particular is because it opens you up to a
different language than English and Hebrew, Aramaic. Also it is important
because it teaches us, the Jews, the laws and regulations about our daily
lives. And fully explains the torah.
There is not a word to use to explain how much I love
learning Gemara. It makes me so happy to be able to learn it each and every day
and to learn about the laws that one should do in their daily life. It aspires
me to G-d willing, one day teach it to my own children and to bring the same
joy to their lives that it brings to me each and every day.
Talmud is important for it
is a comprehension of the Mishnah, which is a comprehension of the torah. It is
important for it tells the laws of the torah in depth and perception.
The Talmud itself is the
center of the page there is also other commentaries such as Rashi and Tosafot.
Talmud is exceptionally hard to understand for it is written in Aramaic, and
you must look up every single word and syntax you may not understand because
words can play tricks on you and also be extremely puzzling at times. But
actually learning and understanding the text of the Talmud is so rewarding and
plus in the process you will become a better Jew and are able to follow the
torah laws better and they become more significant.
There are different
techniques of studying like one good one is to color coordinate using different
highlighters and highlight each question, each attacking question and other
color, each answer, each statement and each proof all in different pretty neon
colors.
Also looking at other
peoples commentaries helps and gives many points of views as well as
understanding of the Talmud, for it is very hard to understand for it very
foreign to our ears.
It helps greatly to shtige
away with a fellow chavruta (any friend or intelligent person who would be your
partner in studying Talmud), you can help each other out and explain stuff to
each other when doubts have entered each others mind on the exact translation
of Talmud.
Wherever you learn Talmud
you should always have an English Aramaic dictionary for words or phrases that
are absent in your vocabulary.
Links:
1) A
page of Talmud explained.
What is the Gemara? Its
means addition; the
Gemara is an addition to the Mishnah. Now that you know what the actual
Gemara is, you can begin the process of learning.
First, you open the Gemara. Then you seek information about the
different topics of Halacha, and decide what you are interested in learning
about. Once you have found the section and page, you start to read. If while
you are reading you come across words you do not understand, take out a
Talmudic Dictionary and it will tell you the meaning and syntax of the word.
This method should help and improve your learning experience. You should look
into each of the statements and see if it makes sense to you. You should ask
yourself the following questions? Is the reasoning logical, and is the proof
weak and unreasonable? Does it seem reasonable to you or not? Analyze the
statements and try to understand them properly. Make sure that you understand
the logic, and that it is not out of order or weak evidence. You should read
the Gemara carefully by yourself, and
then look into the commentaries. When you start looking into any of the
Commentaries, see which part of the Gemara is being explained. Understand the
Commentaries
purpose. Is the Commentator fixing up the wording, clearing up a subject, or
answering a question. Is the Commentator working on a problem or giving you
another way of reading or looking at the Gemara. After you know the intention
or the explanation of the Commentator, study it carefully, and see what you
would have thought without the clarification. When you think you understand
what the Gemara is trying to say, consult with a partner? go into Chavruta.
Having another opinion and point of view is important in learning and
understanding the Gemara properly.
While you are going through the Gemara, ask yourself
obvious questions in your mind that will help and strengthen your study, like?
whose opinion is this? Why did he say this? What's the logic behind it? You
also always have to understand and realize who is asking and answering
questions. Do not confuse the names of the Tannaim with each other. Review the
concepts repeatedly to remember what you learned previously, and what the
conclusion of the Gemara is. Click
here for more information on this.
When learning Gemara, applying and relating the topic to your every day life makes it a lot easier and realistic. After you totally understand the topic and questions you have come across, go back, and review it again. This way, you will fully understand and remember the concepts forever.
There are many different basic skills that one should
have to learn Gemara. I am only going to talk about 3. The first is that one
who is starting out Gemara should know the basic vocabulary and syntax that is
used commonly in the Gemara. This will make it much easier to break down a simple
piece of Gemara, and basically if you know all of the common vocabulary and
syntax, in my opinion you can break down anything.
The 2nd step
for breaking down a piece of gemara, is that one should know what a koishia,
tayrutz, shiaila, teshuva, mamar, and a basees is. For example a Koishia is an
attacking question, a tayrutz is an answer to an attacking question, a Shiaila,
is a regular question in the Gemara. A teshuva is an answer to a regular asked
question, a mamar is a statement in the Gemara, and a Basees is a proof brought
that is brought in the Gemara.
By knowing what all of these things are, it will make
breaking down the Gemara much much easier, and it will help you a lot. What you
can also do to make it easier you can color coordinate each thing.
For example a Koishia you
can make green, you can make a tairutz
orange and etc. You can do whatever helps you the most but for me color
coordinating the Gemara has helped me a lot throughout learning Gemara.
I think that Gemara is very important to learn
because it gives you explanations of what it says in the torah but in more
detailed. The Gemara can help you a lot when you do not understand something in
the torah. What's also very good about the Gemara is that there is a not only 1
side commentary, but there are at least 4. This makes it easier because if you
are having trouble understanding the Gemara you don't only have to check out 1
side commentary. You can check out all of them! This is why I think that Gemara
is so important to learn, and how much use it really has.
1}
The thing someone needs to know about learning Gemara is how to read
it.
There are 6 different types of sentences that divide up the Gemara.
They
are:
1. Kooshya - an attacking question
2. Me’amar - a statement
4. Teshuvah - an answer
5. Teirutz - an attacking answer
2} Using
these 6 lines someone should to break up the Gemara into 6
categories
using their best judgment.
3}Then
you should buy an Ariel Talmudic dictionary. Using this you can try
to
define hard and complex words. Then make a list of the common hard
words so you can keep it as a reference.
4}
Find a person to be your partner in learning gemara. Both of you can
explain
the stuff you don’t know to each other,
and help each other out.
5}
Keep trying hard to learn the gemara and it will become an instinct.
Influence
people to learn gemara, and keep studying, because the more you
study
the more you will know.
6}
To get more acquainted with the gemara,
Click here for a virtual
tour of the Talmud page.
Click
here for another good source for Talmud.
A long time ago in a land far away, the Talmud Bavli was created. Throughout the years it has guided us throughout our every day lives. This essay will explain how to learn the Gemara.
The first thing you must know in order to learn the Gemara, is the basic outline of a daf or page of Gemara. In the middle of the page is the Mishnah and the Gemara. All around the Gemara are different commentators. However, the two main commentators, Rashi and Tosfot, surround the Gemara on either side. On the side closest to the binding of the book is Rashi, and on the outside of the book, is Tosfot. Click here for an example of a page of the Gemara. Click on the different parts of the daf for an explanation of each part.
The second thing that you must know about the Gemara is that there are six main line types. They include: statements, informative questions, an answer to the informative question, an attacking question, an answer to the attacking question, and a proof. Using these six line types, you will easily be able to put quotation marks into the gemara in order to help you translate. You will also learn different syntax words that will also help you break up the Gemara into different lines.
The third part in translating the Gemara is to understand the Aramaic itself. If you know Hebrew, it will help greatly because almost every word in Hebrew is the same as Aramaic. The only difference is that some letters are switched. An example of this is that if you have a shin in Hebrew, it becomes a tof in Aramaic and visa versa. You must also memorize many words that repeat themselves in repeatedly throughout the Gemara.
The last step in understanding the Gemara, is using the commentators to explain the hidden meanings of the Gemara. If you can use these amazing Rabbis in your study, it will greatly help you in your quest for knowledge.
Now that you know the basic rules for learning Gemara, go and enjoy. The fascinating world of the Oral Torah is waiting for you!
Two other great websites on how to learn Gemara are: http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/gemara.htm and http://www.wlu.ca/~wwwpress/catalog/wwwbooks/lightrhet.html.
Learning Gemara can be a pleasant experience, if you follow some easy steps. But before we do that we must first try to understand what the gemara is and comprehend the history behind it. (Question 3.14: What is the Gemara and what is the Talmud?) The meaning of the word gemara is addition. The reason for this name is because the gemara is an addition to the mishnah, the organizer of all Jewish halachos and dinim.
Now we will try to take the “easy way to learn gemara” steps. The first step to learning a daf, is to find words or phrases you don’t understand. This is vital, because if you do not look up words, you’ll end up reading gibberish. That’s not good! "If you want to become wise, you should increase in sitting." This means, you should spend time carefully studying the words of the Book. (rav yitchak kanpanton)How to Learn Gemara.
Next you will need to find the stopping point which in the beginning will be hard, but as u get better, you get accustomed to it. Also, when looking up a word, you should really take a look at the syntax . The syntax will tell you if the statement is a question, answer or proof. This is basically the next step, figuring what the gemara is doing. For example, you need to know if the Tannaim are in the middle of an argument or a discussion or just pshat Halacha. If u find a phrase difficult to comprehend, there’s always Rashi! Rashi is always located on the inner side of the p gemara is doing. For example, you need to know if the Tannaim are in the middle of an argument or a discussion or just pshat Halacha. If u find a phrase difficult to comprehend, there’s always Rashi! Rashi is always located on the inner side of the page. He will be glad to help you out. On the other side of the page you will find tosofot. Tosfot is located on the outer side of the daf. It is a little more difficult than Rashi. He will be glad to help you out. On the other side of the page you will find tosofot. Tosfot is located on the outer side of the daf. It is a little more difficult than Rashi. Well that’s all the basics u need to know about reading a daf. Piece of cake! If you have any questions you can always ask your rabbi.
The Gemara is compiled of
many different sources and arguments that we can learn from to use in our daily
lives. The Gemara is a great source of learning new things that can be taught
from generation to generation. We need the Gemara so we can serve Hashem
wholeheartedly.
There are many smart and
famous Rabbis that teach us halachot through arguments. Rabbis like Rabbi
Yossi, Rabbi Yehuda, and Rav Ashi etc. When you want to go in depth it the argument
you can always rely on Rashi, Tosfot, Rashbam and many more. Although their
debates don't apply to us as people anymore, we still find values through those
debates.
The Gemara is not an easy
source to understand. It is in Aramaic and most words need to be translated by
a Talmudic dictionary. By using the common sheayla (question), t'shuva
(answer), kushya (attacking question), teyrutz (answer to an attacking
question), and a bas‑is (a proof), its makes it much easier to understand
to understand the text of the Gemara and put everything together so it can make
sense.
We learn so many different
things in the Gemara. For example, we learn about the time of reciting the
Kreat Shemah. We learn about Arvey Pesachim. There are so many little things
that you can learn from one huge topic. Each year we learn a different Gemara,
it gets more interesting each year. Not only do we learn the actual text, but
also we learn a new word almost each day. We can either learn a new vocabulary
word, or a new syntax. Syntax is much harder than vocabulary because it is more
memorization but once you read it over again, because it appears more than once
in the Gemara, you get used to that one syntax word and it makes it easier to
understand the Gemara.
Gemara is Judaism's second
most important body of literature, next only in importance to the written Torah
of Moshe. Indeed, some even put it on a tie for first.
The Talmud is a huge
multi-volume work that contains several different types of rabbinic literature.
It is divided into two main sections.
The Mishnah: The
Mishnah is the more authoritative part of the Talmud. It is the sum total of
Jewish Oral Law. It is also the shorter of the two parts of the Talmud. This
body of literature, the Mishnah, was handed down orally for centuries and
finally edited and codified between 200 and 250 CE, by Rabbi Yehudah haNasi,
who in the Talmud is usually referred to simply as "The Rabbi."
The Gemara: The Gemara is
the second and lengthier section of the Talmud. While the Mishnah is a
commentary on the Scriptures, the Gemara is a commentary on the Mishnah. The
Gemara contains arguments of rabbis as
they attempt to decide on legal issues or interpretations. It contains stories,
parables, and even provides a record of some very important historical events.
It is a very rich body of Jewish literature.
Two Talmuds: There are
actually two versions of the Talmud. One was produced in Babylon and called the
"Babylonian Talmud." It is considered to be more authoritative than
the second, called the "Jerusalem
Talmud," which was produced in the land of Israel. Both Talmuds were
completed sometime around the year 500 CE, the Babylonian one having been
finished first.
The Talmud follows the organizational arrangement of the Mishnah. There
are six main sections, orders or books. It is important, at the least, to know
the six orders of the Mishnah.
Zeraim (ohgrz)--"Seeds"
Moed (sgun)--"Set Feasts"
Nashim (ohab)--"Women"
Nezikin (ihehzb)--"Damages"
Kodeshim (ohasue)--"Holy Things"
Tohorot (,urvy)--"Cleanliness"
Each book of the Mishnah has several subdivisions. The Talmud follows
the divisions of the Mishnah.
If
you want to know where I got this information from on the web click here.
The Gemara is a very fun and
interesting thing to learn. It may seem hard at first but once you learn it
over and over again it becomes easier and more interesting. You learn so many
new things and it is a very fun experience to learn the Gemara.
What is Talmud? You would
think that since I have been learning it since sixth grade I would understand
it, and I thought I did. Yet, only recently I learned what it really was, what
it really means. It means that who ever you are, wherever you have come from
you can ALWAYS learn something and get something out of the Talmud. You have a
question, you're unsure of something? No matter where you're spiritually the
Talmud can help you sort it out. You can explore it on a basic level or the
most complex level. What does Talmud
mean to me personally? To me, Talmud is not just a book, it is not just
a set of laws to go by. "It is life.. it is an entire life style what you
learn in the Talmud never leaves you. Talmud is not just a book, it is a way of
life( Leonard C.Mishkin)." The only way to successfully learn the
Talmud... understand that this book is the glue that connects the Jewish
people. Where would the Jewish people be without it? Think of it as your ID
card or membership to Judaism. You enter the club the purpose of being there:
to learn, to understand, to experience.
If you want to understand Talmud and appreciate it to the fullest- do
not treat it like any other book on your shelf. Don't compare it to an English
encyclopedia because an encyclopedia gives you definitions, guidelines. Talmud
explains everything you need to know about life, what your expected to do as a
Jew, along with information about anything else that you may need. There is a
clear distinction between learning Talmud and experiencing Talmud. Learning
Talmud without really feeling it will not help you in life. When you learn it
open yourself up to the spirit of the Talmud. If you understand when you open
that holy book that your life will be improved for the better because of it,
and that by reading those words you are gaining the knowledge of Rabbanim
hundreds of years past. Then you could say that you experienced it that it is a
part of you. So, the first step to learning Talmud is to fully comprehend what
the book means how it came about. " How lucky we are to have an Oral Torah
a tradition explaining what the scriptures mean how to interpret them, and how
to apply the laws learned to your own daily life. For more information about the Talmud
click here.
Our ancestors have learned the ancient text of the Gemara
for generations. Like any subject the first thing you need to do is read it
over several times looking for familiar words and breaking the text into small
easy to understand segments. There are certain words that are extremely similar
to Hebrew and many that have interchangeable letters like the “taf” and the
“shin”. Words that are absolutely not understandable can be translated by one
of many Talmud handbooks or dictionaries. Also the
commentary of Rashi or other Rishonim can be used.
Once we have out text in a
comprehendible language we have to organize our thoughts and segment phrases
into a whole text that isn’t always so easy to do. Thoughts usually have a
logical order between questions, answers, statements, attacking questions,
answers to those, and proofs. Once you find the pattern to your Gemara the rest
will be relatively easy, if all else fails ask your friendly Gemara Rebbe.
From Rebbe Akiva to Rav Aharon
Soloveitchik, the Talmud (an explanation of the Mishnah) has been the guideline
to a full and spiritual Jewish life. Understanding the Gemara is a hard task
for an amateur but then again we’re all amateurs. Although an answer or idea
may seem very blunt or obvious, you must remember these Holy Scriptures were
written long ago and the writers thought much differently. I recommend taking
your time and thinking abstractly, this is the method of study of many of the
great rabbis of our time.
To learn Gemara you must understand
the structure, vocabulary and syntax of the Gemara. An amateur who knows the
structural setting, vocabulary and syntax can easily become a wiz in the world
of Gemara. There are six types of sentences that make up the Gemara, they are:
she’ela, te’shuva, ma’amar, ba’sis, ku’shya and teirutz. The way a sh’ela works
is it is an information question, usually between two rabbis. A te’shuva is an
answer to an information question. A ba’sis comes as a proof for something,
usually an answer to either an attacking or information question. A ma’amar is
a statement, usually made by an Amorah (a rabbi in the Gemara). A kush’ya is an
attacking or rhetorical question. And a teirutz is the answer to an attacking
or rhetoric question. If you understand this structure, the vocabulary and the
syntax, you can be a Gemara maven. I recommend purchasing the Practical
Talmud Dictionary by Rabbi Yitzhak Frank.
It can take weeks, maybe even months before you are able to clearly read a daf (page) of Gemara. Do not be discouraged, just stand strong and keep trying and one day, you , can be a great talmudic scholar or even one of the gedo’lei ha’dor (great teachers/rabbis of the generation). Learning Talmud may change your perspective on life, but I hope it will lead you to a life of purity, holiness, understanding of Hashem (the one and only God) and love of life. Also when studying Gemara, you should study with a partner or a group, as it says oh chavruta oh mi tuta. (Give me group learning or give me death). If you don’t understand something look in the Rashi or the Tosafot, which are commentaries on the Gemara.
For more go to: http://.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/talmudpage.html
and http://www.shemayisroel.co.il/gemara.html
The Talmud is an ancient text, whose purpose is to teach us the laws and traditions of the Jewish people. A page of Talmud basically consists of the Mishnah and the Gemara in the central column surrounded by various commentaries who do many things like providing their opinion or putting in correction to what they think are errors.
To learn a
page of Talmud one would require the following materials:
1) A Gemara
2) The ability to read and
understand basic Hebrew
3) A Talmudic dictionary in
case there are some words you don’t know particularly in the Gemara which is
written in Aramaic a language used in the exile which is similar to Hebrew.
The first thing you do is open the Gemara to the M’sechta which
you would like to learn. Starting from the Mishnah, work your way down towards
the Gemara. Commentaries can be extremely helpful when learning Talmud. The use
of a Talmudic dictionary is almost always needed unless you are already fluent
with the words. The good part about learning Talmud is it allows you to learn
the Jewish law and traditions and how life back then influenced Halachic
decisions. The bad part is it’s a pain to read something in another language
and after a while one may get tired of reading about a bunch of Rabbis arguing.
This web site really helps my studying Gemara is: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudPage.html .
The Talmud or Gemara is compiled of many different sources and arguments. There are many great rabbis that teach us through there arguments how to live our daily lives as a Jew. Although sometimes we don't use the morals taught in debates discussed in the Gemara, we still find a vital value in the debates. By using the common, she’ela, tshuva, kushya, teirutz, and basis, it makes it easier to interpret the Gemara. In order to learn the Gemara you must have the correct hashkafa- outlook and treat the Gemara with wholehearted respect.
The Gemara interprets the Mishnah. Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi wrote the Mishnah, The Gemara interprets the Mishnah and Rab Ashi completed the Gemara. Many Amoraayim are mentioned in the Gemara, and those who interpret the Gemara are Rishonim, like Rashi for instance. Rishonim decide what we go by and which rav we follow. But ultimately we follow the Shulchan Urich.
The Rashi is found on the inner page, the Tosfot is found on the outside. In the beginning of each Gemara it starts off with a Mishnah by quoting it, then in the middle of the Gemara it'll discuss it, semi colons will set the line aside. It is written in Aramaic words and the common terms used are, Hacha- here, Hatam- there, Salem- daven, TuShmu- come and hear, this is called a Roshey Teyvot meaning an abbreviation on words.
A famous discussion written in
the Gemara is when to recite the shema. All the discussions are brought
up in a machloket. The famous Rabeyim quoted are, the Rav, the Raba, and
Abayay.
There is a famous mashal about Rav Lakish, he was explained as a handsome and
attractive young boy. He was kidnapped when he was but a young boy and he was
brought up to the Jew. He was Rabbi Yochanan swimming in a sea, and the
Rav Lakish was out to kill him. Rav Yochanan says to the Rav Lakish
"please use your beauty for Hashem and the mitzvoth"; the Rav Lakish
says " and use YOUR beauty for women" this was very disrespectful for
him to say to such a great rabbi. The Rav Yochanan tells Rav Lakish that
if he returned to Judaism then he could marry his sister. From then on
the two rabbayim were best friends and soon became chavrutas. After the
Rav Lakish dies, the Rav Yochanan couldn't bear with out him and he soon dies
following him. Rav Yochanan couldn't find another chavruta that he could
relate to, or as intellectually stimulating as Raish Lakish. That's how
we derive the famous quote " give me chavruta or give me death".
A famous rabbi by the name of Rab Yishmael said, there are 13 ways to explain a pasook and each one is correct. But only the Tannaim and Amoraayim can use the 13 tools that Rav Yishmael uses in his passage. A main question that is commonly discussed is, if we cannot write down the torah shebaalpeh- the torah that is by heart, by mouth, than how was it written? The sebarim explain that the fear of forgetting the torah was too great and that is why we ended up writing it. Mesora is another way of saying the torah shebaalpeh. There is a klal- a rule, brought from the famous quote "ayloo ayloo elokim chaim". Meaning, even though we may not paskin- go by or follow, the opposer in the Gemara, we still make it very clear that he is still correct and we still show respect to him. He is not wrong. The Amoraayim don't argue with the Tannaim, they are not entitled to. Meaning, the Gemara writers and the Mishnah writers are not allowed to argue. The Tannaim were by far much wiser, besides for the Rabbayim Tana Opalig. These were the Amoraayim who had duel status, meaning they argue with both sides. So we learn form this three rules, 1- two people pf the same Mishnah can not argue, 2- Amoraayim don't argue with the Mishnah/ Tannaim 3- Mishnah can argue with the Amoraayim.
With the help of Rabbi Genack, and his daughter Ora Genack I was able to fulfill the assignment as a student. The mashal was taught to me by Rabbi Genack that enabled me to add it in my essay. I derived the following information from the website given in class- www.dafyomi.co.il. The dafyomi is actually interpreted to be a page a day. It refers to the Talmudic learning of Rabbi Shapiro whose ideal goal was to aim Jewish people to be able to learn a page of Talmud a day while at the same time, completing the structure of the Talmud. Because of the Talmudic depths, it takes a period of seven years to fully master the completion of the Talmud. A full devotion is needed to study they depth of the Talmud. The Talmud is the actual essence of traditional Judaism.
Talmud for dummies: what is the Talmud.
Talmud, or Gemara is very old Jewish law that has
been passed down for many generations. At the early formation of Talmud it was
an oral law rather than written but due to persecution our Jewish
Sages decided to
write down the text. The text is constructed in a strait forward form of
Mishnah, which is followed by Gemara. Mishnah, which means the direct law, and
Gemara, which are many opinions on how our sages held on the topic (strictness).
Here is an example of a page of the Gemara. The middle part of the page would
be where the Mishnah is. The Gemara is quoted presiding the Mishnah. In the
other part of the page are the later quoted opinions. This area is shared
mostly by three opinions. Rashi, who also comments on the torah (five holy
scriptures) has many insights on the torah. Rashbam, which is the grandson of
Rashi, also comments on the Gemara. The third opinion is Tosfot. Tosfot is also
a very important opinion. He is also the grandson
of Rashi. There are many other sources such as the
Hagot Habach and Rabenu Hananel who are located at the bottom and the outer
side of the page. I hope that this introduction to Gemara helped you understand
a little more about the huge world of Talmud.
http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudPage.html
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/central.htm
First looking at a page in the gemara, you think to yourself what is this? How am I supposed to read this? The text looks very complex; especially considering that there is absolutely no punctuation. It looks like an on going sentence. This is how I felt before actually getting into it. Soon after I realized it was not complicated at all. Basically, the Gemara is many arguments from different Rabbis on how to follow the halachot. We need the Gemara in our every day lives. Once you know the basics you can do whatever you want. And of course, practice makes perfect. You must have interest in learning the Gemara, other wise you won't succeed.
Before even opening the Gemara, I learnt that there are six different types of sentences. There is a ma'amar (which is a statement), a she’ela (a question), a teshuva (an answer), a kushya (an attacking question), a teyrutz (an answer to the attacking question), and a basis (a proof.) Knowing this, the Gemara is much easier to interpret.
After this, I learnt many vocabulary words and syntax. They help you in finding the correct places to stop. They also help you figure out what tone of voice you should use while reading it (meaning, what type of statement it is. For example, if it's a question, you read it as a question.
There will be times when you won't be able to figure out what the context means. This is when our great Rabbis come in. For example, there is Rashi, which is found on the inner side of the Gemara, and there is Tosphot, which is found on the outside. These Rabbis and many other Rabbis are there to help us in our learning and to explain what is too difficult for us to comprehend.
I have also found that learning with a friend makes everything much easier. Everyone thinks differently and you might interpret something a different way than one of your friends would. The more ideas you have the better your learning will be.
Once you have the basics and the more you practice, reading the Gemara will just come naturally to you. It's just like anything that you put your heart to. If you have the will power to succeed, then you will.
http://.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/talmudpage.html and http://www.shemayisroel.co.il/gemara.html
The gemara has been taught for a very
long time. Students all around the world learn it today and go on and teach it
to their children etc. rabbi pittinsky's 9t2’s gemara class decided to teach
people who weren’t privileged to learn gemara all their lives how to make it
easier to learn it on their own.
In order to start learning gemara one
must understand what is written around the page. The page of gemara is divided
into sections, the middle with the mishnah and gemara and surrounding the
mishnah and gemara are the commentaries. The two most famous commentators on a
page of gemara are Rashi and Tosphot. Throughout learning the gemara you can
always look at one of the commentaries on the side to find out what something
means if you do not understand it.
The second thing that you must know to
learn gemara on your own is that the vocabulary and syntax to help you
understand the gemara you are learning. Our class went to the judaica store and
brought the talmudic dictionary. So when we have a question on the word instead
of asking our rabbi we open our dictionary and find the word on our own. You
must also know that the lines in the gemara can be split up into six different
types,
-information question,
-answer to the information question
-attacking question
-answer to the attacking question
-a
statement
-proof
Understanding the commentators is the
last step in the understanding the Gemara.
If you are able to understand the words of the mishnah and gemara, you
will be able to look at the commentaries and find the meaning of some words or
phrases you didn’t understand that were holding you back from understand your
gemara.
Now that you know how to learn gemara
on your own, go for it and try your hardest to understand what you are doing.
Don’t forget to enjoy yourself while doing it. Two other great websites on how
to learn Gemara are:
http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/gemara.htm
and
http://www.wlu.ca/~wwwpress/catalog/wwwbooks/lightrhet.html.
Copyright © 2001, Rabbi Pittinsky's 9T2 Class
Revised--February 7, 2010
URL:
http://www.geocities.ws/pittinsky/
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