What is the Talmud?

The Talmud is one of the most important texts in Judaism after the Torah. It explains, develops, and interprets the laws and teachings found in the Torah. Jewish tradition teaches that alongside the written Torah, God also gave Moses an Oral Torah—a set of explanations that helped people understand how to follow the commandments in daily life. Over many centuries, these oral teachings were passed down from teacher to student. Eventually, to preserve them, rabbis wrote them down, creating what we now call the Talmud.

The Talmud has two main parts:

• Mishnah (c. 200 CE):The earliest written collection of the Oral Law. It organises the commandments of the Torah into practical instructions for daily living—how to pray, how to keep festivals, how to marry, how to run courts, and much more.

• Gemara (c. 500 CE):A much larger collection of discussions by later rabbis who analysed the Mishnah. The Gemara debates every detail, offering explanations, examples, and sometimes different opinions. It shows how rabbis interpreted the Torah and applied it to new situations.

Together, the Mishnah + Gemara form the Talmud, a vast and complex text full of legal discussions, stories, interpretations, arguments, and wisdom.

How is the Talmud used?

Jews use the Talmud to understand how to follow God’s commandments in real life. While the Torah gives the laws, it often does not explain how to carry them out. For example, the Torah commands Jews to wear tefillin, but it does not describe what they should look like. The Talmud explains how they are made, what verses go inside them, and how they are worn.

The Talmud is therefore used to:

• Interpret the Torah and clarify laws that are unclear.

• Apply ancient laws to new situations, making Judaism a living, adaptable tradition.

• Understand the origins of Jewish practices by showing how rabbis reached their decisions.

• Study and debate: it trains students, including future rabbis, to think deeply and analyse religious problems.

• Provide commentaries, as it includes references to earlier texts and shows how Jewish law developed.

Because the Talmud contains many different rabbinic opinions, students learn not only what the law is, but why it is the law, and how Jewish scholars have reasoned throughout history.

Why is the Talmud important?

The Talmud is essential for Jewish religious life for several reasons:

• It extends and completes the Torah by giving practical instructions for keeping the commandments. Without the Talmud, many laws would be impossible to follow.

• It forms the basis of Jewish law (Halakhah). Almost all later law codes (such as the Shulchan Aruch) come from the debates and decisions found in the Talmud. This means that daily Jewish life—how to pray, what to eat, how to keep Shabbat—comes from the Talmud.

• It preserves centuries of scholarly discussion, linking modern Jews with generations of rabbis such as Rashi and Maimonides. It shows that Judaism values debate, questioning, and multiple perspectives.

• It supports Jewish life in the Diaspora. When Jews were scattered around the world, the Talmud helped them keep their traditions alive and adapt to new environments while staying faithful to the Torah.

• It is a huge source of knowledge, containing law, stories, ethics, and traditions. For many Jews, studying the Talmud is a lifelong spiritual activity.

Many Jews believe that the Oral Torah (which later became the Talmud) was given at Sinai alongside the Written Torah. Even those who see it as a later creation still treat it as an authoritative and sacred text.