Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire corpus of works authored by

rabbis A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as '' semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

throughout

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

. The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era (70–640 CE), as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writings. It aligns with the Hebrew term ''Sifrut Chazal'' (), which translates to “literature f oursages” and generally pertains only to the

sages A sage (, ''sophós''), in classical philosophy, is someone who has attained wisdom. The term has also been used interchangeably with a 'good person' (, ''agathós''), and a 'virtuous person' (, ''spoudaîos''). Some of the earliest accounts of t ...

(''Chazal'') from the Talmudic period. This more specific sense of "Rabbinic literature"—referring to the

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

im (), and related writings, but hardly ever to later texts—is how the term is generally intended when used in contemporary academic writing. The terms ''mefareshim'' and ''parshanim'' (commentaries and commentators) almost always refer to later, post-Talmudic writers of rabbinic glosses on

Biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

and Talmudic texts.

Mishnaic literature

The Midr'she halakha,

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

, and

Tosefta The Tosefta ( "supplement, addition") is a compilation of Jewish Oral Law from the late second century, the period of the Mishnah and the Jewish sages known as the '' Tannaim''. Background Jewish teachings of the Tannaitic period were cha ...

(compiled from materials pre-dating the year 200 CE) are the earliest extant works of rabbinic literature, expounding and developing Judaism's

Oral Law An oral law is a code of conduct in use in a given culture, religion or community application, by which a body of rules of human behaviour is transmitted by oral tradition and effectively respected, or the single rule that is orally transmitted. M ...

, as well as ethical teachings. Following these came the two Talmuds: *The

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...

, *The

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...

, full canonization of all the previous texts . *The

minor tractates The minor tractates (, ''masechtot qetanot'') are essays from the Talmudic period or later dealing with topics about which no formal tractate exists in the Mishnah. They may thus be contrasted to the Tosefta, whose tractates parallel those of the ...

(part of the Babylonian Talmud) The earliest extant material witness to rabbinic literature of any kind is the

Tel Rehov inscription The Mosaic of Reḥob (, also known as the Tel Rehov inscription and the Baraita of the Boundaries), is a late 3rd–6th century CE mosaic discovered in 1973. The mosaic, written in late Mishnaic Hebrew, describes the geography and agricultur ...

dating to the 6th–7th centuries, also the longest Jewish inscription from late antiquity. Meanwhile, the earliest extant Talmudic manuscripts are from the 8th century.

The Midrash

Midrash (; pl. ''Midrashim'') is a Hebrew word referring to a method of reading details into or out of a biblical text. The term ''midrash'' also can refer to a compilation of Midrashic teachings in the form of legal, exegetical, homiletical, or narrative writing, often configured as a commentary on the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

. There are a large number of "classical" Midrashic works spanning a period from

Mishnaic The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

Geonic ''Geonim'' (; ; also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Talmudic Academies in Babylonia, Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura Academy , Sura and Pumbedita Academy , Pumbedita, in t ...

times, often showing evidence of having been worked and reworked from earlier materials and frequently coming to us in multiple variants. A compact list of these works, drawing upon Barry Holtz's ''Back to the Sources'', is given below. The timeline below is approximate because many of the works were composed over a long period, borrowing and collating material from earlier versions; their histories are, therefore, somewhat uncertain and the subject of scholarly debate. In the table, "n.e." designates that the work in question is not extant except in secondary references.

Later works by category

Aggada

Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva (, ''Alpha-Beta de-Rabbi Akiva''), otherwise known as Letters of Rabbi Akiva (, ''Otiot de-Rabbi Akiva'') or simply Alphabet or Letters, is a midrash on the names of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Two versions or porti ...

Ein Yaakov ''Ein Yaakov'' (, "Jacob's Well") is a 16th-century compilation of all the Aggadic material in the Talmud together with commentaries.

Legends of the Jews The ''Legends of the Jews'' is a chronological compilation of aggadah from hundreds of biblical legends in Mishnah, Talmud and Midrash. The compilation consists of seven volumes (four volumes of narrative texts and two volumes of footnotes with ...

Midrash HaGadol Midrash HaGadol or The Great Midrash () is a work of aggaddic midrash, expanding on the narratives of the Torah, which was written by David ben Amram Adani of Yemen (14th century). Its contents were compiled from the Jerusalem and Babylonian T ...

* Midrash Hashkem *

Midrash Rabba Midrash Rabba or Midrash Rabbah can refer to part of or the collective whole of specific aggadic midrashim on the books of the Torah and the Five Megillot, generally having the term "Rabbah" (), meaning "great," as part of their name. These midra ...

* Midrash Shmuel *

Midrash Tehillim Midrash Tehillim (Hebrew: מדרש תהלים), also known as Midrash Psalms or Midrash Shocher Tov, is an aggadic midrash to the Psalms. Midrash Tehillim can be divided into two parts: the first covering Psalms 1–118, the second covering 119� ...

Pesikta de-Rav Kahana Pesikta de-Rav Kahana () is a collection of aggadic midrash which exists in two editions, those of Salomon Buber (Lyck, 1868) and Bernard Mandelbaum (1962). It is cited by Nathan ben Jehiel and Rashi. The name The Jewish Babylonian Aramaic t ...

Pesikta Rabbati ''Pesikta Rabbati'' (Aramaic: פסיקתא רבתי ''P'siqta Rabbati'', "The Larger P'siqta") is a collection of aggadic midrash (homilies) on the Pentateuchal and prophetic readings, the special Sabbaths, and so on. It was composed around 8 ...

Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer (, 'Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer'; abbreviated , 'PRE') is an aggadic-midrashic work of Torah exegesis and retellings of biblical stories. Traditionally, the work is attributed to the tanna Eliezer ben Hurcanus and his scho ...

Seder Olam Rabbah ''Seder Olam Rabbah'' (, "The Great Order of the World") is a 2nd-century CE Hebrew language chronology detailing the dates of biblical events from creation to Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia. It adds no stories beyond what is in the bi ...

Seder Olam Zutta Seder Olam Zutta (Hebrew: ) is an anonymous chronicle from 803 CE, called "Zuta" (= "smaller," or "younger") to distinguish it from the older ''Seder Olam Rabbah.'' This work is based upon, and to a certain extent completes and continues, the old ...

* Sefer HaAggadah *

Sefer haYashar (midrash) Sefer haYashar () is a medieval Hebrew language, Hebrew ''midrash'', also known as the Toledot Adam and Divrei haYamim heArukh. The Hebrew title "Sefer haYashar" might be translated as the "Book of Righteousness" (or literally "Book of the Strai ...

Smaller midrashim A number of midrashim exist which are smaller in size, and generally later in date, than those dealt with in the articles Midrash Haggadah and Midrash Halakah. Despite their late date, some of these works preserve material from the Apocrypha and P ...

Tanhuma Midrash Tanhuma (), also known as Yelammedenu, is the name given to a homiletic midrash on the entire Torah, and it is known in several different versions or collections. Tanhuma bar Abba is not the author of the text but instead is a figure to w ...

Tanna Devei Eliyahu ''Tanna Devei Eliyahu'' (Hebrew: תנא דבי אליהו; alternate transliterations include ''Tana D'vei Eliyahu'' and ''Tana D'vei Eliahu'') is the composite name of a midrash, consisting of two parts, whose final redaction took place at the e ...

Tseno Ureno The ''Tz'enah Ur'enah'' ( ''Ṣʼenā urʼenā'' "Go forth and see"; ; ), also spelt Tsene-rene and Tseno Ureno, sometimes called the ''Women's Bible'', is a Yiddish-language prose work whose structure parallels the weekly Torah portions and Haft ...

Yalkut Shimoni The ''Yalkut Shimoni'' (), or simply ''Yalkut'', is an aggadic compilation on the books of the Hebrew Bible. It is a compilation of older interpretations and explanations of Biblical passages, arranged according to the sequence of those portions ...

Hasidic thought

* ''

Keter Shem Tov ''Keter Shem Tov'' (, "The Crown of the Good Name") was the first published work of the teachings of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism. The book was published in Zalkevo, 1794, more than thirty years after Rabbi Israel's passing ...

'' * '' Tzavaat HaRivash'' * ''Toledot Yaakov Yosef'' * ''Ben Porat Yosef'', ''Tzafnat Paneach'', and ''Ketonet Pasim'' * ''Magid Devarav L'Yaakov'' * ''Or Torah'' * ''Menachem Zion'' * ''Meor Einayim'' and ''Yesamach Lev'' * ''Noam Elimelech'' * ''Menorat Zahav'' * ''Avodat Yisrael'' * ''Pri Ha'Aretz'' and ''P'ri Ha'Eitz'' * ''Kedushas Levi'' * '' Tiferes Shlomo'' * ''Bet Aharon'' * ''Yosher Divrei Emes'' * ''Tanya'' (''Likutei Amarim'') * '' Torah Or/Likutei Torah'' * ''Likutei Moharan'' * ''Sippurei Ma'asiyot'' ("Rabbi Nachman's Stories") * ''Sichot HaRan'' * ''Be'er Mayim Hayyim'' * ''Siduro Shel Shabbos'' * ''Avodas HaLevi'' * '' Mei Hashiloach'' * ''Kol Simcha'' * ''

Bnei Yissoschar Tzvi Elimelech Spira of Dinov (צבי אלימלך שפירא מדינוב) (1783-1841) was a leading Hasidic Rebbe in Poland, founder of the Dinov Dynasty. He was a prolific writer, best known as the author of ''Bnei Yissachar'', by which ti ...

'' * ''Imrei Elimelech'' and ''Divrei Elimelech'' * ''Aish Kodesh'' * '' Sefas Emes'' * '' Imrei Emes'' * '' Shem Mishmuel'' * '' Likkutei Sichos'' * '' Nesivos Sholom'' * ''Darchei Noam''

Hebrew poetry

Biblical poetry The ancient Hebrews identified poetical portions in their sacred texts, as shown by their entitling as "psalms" or as " chants" passages such as Exodus 15:1-19 and Numbers 21:17-20; a song or chant () is, according to the primary meaning of the t ...

* Medieval Hebrew poetry

Jewish liturgy

Piyyut A piyyuṭ (plural piyyuṭim, ; from ) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Most piyyuṭim are in Mishnaic Hebrew or Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, and most follow some p ...

Siddur A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ''tef ...

Jewish philosophy

Chovot HaLevavot ''Chovot HaLevavot'' or ''The Duties of the Hearts'' (; ), is the primary work of the Jewish scholar Bahya ibn Paquda, a rabbi believed to have lived in the Taifa of Zaragoza in al-Andalus in the eleventh century. It was written in Judeo-Arabic i ...

Derech Hashem ''Derech HaShem'' (The "Way of Names of God in Judaism#HaShem, the Name") is a philosophy, philosophical text written around 1736 by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. Principles One of its core assertions is that man was created for the purpose of ...

* Emunah Ubitachon * Emunot v'Dayyot * Kad ha-Kemach *

Kuzari The ''Kuzari'', full title ''Book of Refutation and Proof on Behalf of the Despised Religion'' (; : ''Kitâb al-ḥujja wa'l-dalîl fi naṣr al-dîn al-dhalîl''), also known as the Book of the Khazar (: ''Sefer ha-Kuzari''), is one of the most ...

* Moreh Nevukhim (Guide for the Perplexed) * Milchamot Hashem (Wars of the Lord) * Nefesh Ha-Chaim *

Or Adonai Or Adonai (Hebrew: אור אֲדֹנָי), The Light of the Lord, is the primary work of Rabbi Hasdai Crescas (c. 1340 - 1410/1411), a Jewish philosopher. As some Jews prefer to not use even the respectful title ''Adonai'' (Lord) other than in pray ...

* Perek Chelek *

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; ; ; ), also called , was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. The only event in Philo's life that can be decisively dated is his representation of the Alexandrian J ...

Sefer ha-Ikkarim ''Sefer HaIkkarim'' () is a fifteenth-century work by rabbi Joseph Albo, a student of Hasdai Crescas. It is an eclectic, popular work, whose central task is the exposition of the principles of Judaism. The work contains several internal contra ...

Sefer ha-Chinuch ''Sefer ha-Chinuch'' (, "Book of Education") is a rabbinic text which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah. It was written in 13th-century Spain by an anonymous "Levite of Barcelona". Content The work's enumeration of th ...

Kabbalah

Etz Chaim Etz Hayim, also transliterated as Eitz Chaim ( , meaning "Tree of Life"), is a common term used in Judaism. The expression can be found in , referring to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. It is also found in the Book of Proverbs, where it i ...

* Maggid Mesharim *

Pardes Rimonim Pardes Rimonim (meaning "Orchard of Pomegranates," with the word ''pardes'' having the double meaning of kabbalistic "exegesis") is a primary text of Kabbalah composed in 1548 by the Jewish mystic Moses ben Jacob Cordovero in Safed, Galilee. 1 ...

* Sefer haBahir *

Sefer Raziel HaMalakh ''Sefer Raziel HaMalakh'' (, "the book of Raziel the angel") is a grimoire of Practical Kabbalah from the Middle Ages written primarily in Hebrew and Aramaic. ''Liber Razielis Archangeli'', its 13th-century Latin translation produced under Alf ...

Sefer Yetzirah ''Sefer Yetzirah'' ( ''Sēp̄er Yəṣīrā'', ''Book of Formation'', or ''Book of Creation'') is a work of Jewish mysticism. Early commentaries, such as the ''Kuzari'', treated it as a treatise on mathematical and linguistic theory, as opposed t ...

Tikunei haZohar Tikunei haZohar (), also known as the ''Tikunim'' (), is a main text of the Kabbalah that was composed in the 14th century. It is a separate appendix to the ''Zohar'', a crucial 13th-century work of Kabbalah, consisting of seventy commentaries ...

* Tomer Devorah *

Zohar The ''Zohar'' (, ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work of Kabbalistic literature. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah and scriptural interpretations as well as material o ...

Jewish law

Arba'ah Turim ''Arba'ah Turim'' (), often called simply the ''Tur'', is an important Halakha#Codes of Jewish law, Halakhic code composed by Yaakov ben Asher (Cologne, 1270 – Toledo, Spain c. 1340, also referred to as ''Ba'al Ha-Turim''). The four-part stru ...

Aruch HaShulchan ''Arukh HaShulchan'' (Hebrew: עָרוּךְ הַשֻּׁלְחָן #Title.html" ;"title="r, arguably, עָרֹךְ הַשֻּׁלְחָן; see #Title">§ Title below is a work of halacha written by Yechiel Michel Epstein (1829–1908). The work ...

Beit Yosef Beit may refer to: *Beit (surname) *Beit baronets *Bet (letter), a letter of the Semitic abjad *A component of Glossary of Arabic toponyms, Arabic placenames and Glossary of Hebrew toponyms, Hebrew placenames, literally meaning 'house' *''Masada: Be ...

* Ben Ish Hai *

Chayei Adam Chayei Adam () is a work of Jewish law by Rabbi Avraham Danzig (1748–1820), dealing with the laws discussed in the Orach Chayim section of the Shulchan Aruch. It is divided into 224 sections - 69 dealing with daily conduct and prayer, and 155 w ...

and

Chochmat Adam Avraham ben Yehiel Michael Danzig (; 1748–1820) was a rabbi, ''posek'' (legal decisor) and codifier, best known as the author of the works of Jewish law called '' Chayei Adam'' and ''Chochmat Adam''. He is sometimes referred to as "the ''Chayei ...

* Darkhei Moshe *

Halachot Gedolot Halachoth Gedoloth (lit. great halachoth) is a work on Jewish law dating from the Geonic period. It exists in several different recensions, and there are sharply divergent views on its authorship, though the dominant opinion attributes it to Sim ...

* Kaf HaChaim * Hilchot HaRif * Kessef Mishneh * Kitzur Shulchan Aruch * Levush Malchut *

Minchat Chinuch Joseph ben Moses Babad (1801 – 1874) was a rabbi, ''posek'' and Talmudist, best known for his work, the ''Minchat Chinuch'', a commentary on the '' Sefer Hachinuch''. Biography Babad was born in 1801 in Przeworsk. He studied under Chaim Ha ...

Mishnah Berurah The ''Mishnah Berurah'' ( "Clear Teaching") is a work of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan (Poland, 1838–1933, also known as ''Chofetz Chaim''). It is a commentary on ''Orach Chayim'', the first section of the ''Shulchan Aru ...

Mishneh Torah The ''Mishneh Torah'' (), also known as ''Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka'' (), is a code of Rabbinic Jewish religious law (''halakha'') authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon/Rambam). The ''Mishneh Torah'' was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE ( ...

* Responsa literature *

Sefer Hamitzvot ''Sefer Hamitzvot'' ("Book of Commandments", ; ) is a work by the 12th-century rabbi, philosopher, and physician, Moses Maimonides. While there are various other works titled similarly, the title "''Sefer Hamitzvot''" without a modifier refers ...

Sefer Mitzvot Gadol Sefer Mitzvot Gadol (; in English: "The Great Book of Commandments"; abbreviated: , "SeMaG") work of halakha by Moses ben Jacob of Coucy, containing an enumeration of the 613 commandments. Description The work was completed in 1247, and is a li ...

Shulchan Aruch The ''Shulhan Arukh'' ( ),, often called "the Code of Jewish Law", is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Rabbinic Judaism. It was authored in the city of Safed in what is now Israel by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in ...

Shulchan Aruch HaRav The ''Shulchan Aruch HaRav'' (; also romanized ''Shulkhan Arukh HaRav'') is especially a record of prevailing halakha by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), known during his lifetime as '' HaRav'' (Hebrew for "The Rabbi") and as the firs ...

* Yalkut Yosef

Musar literature

Mesillat Yesharim ''Mesillat Yesharim'' or ''Mesillas Yeshorim'' (, lit. "Path of the Upright") is an ethical ('' musar'') text composed by the influential Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707–1746). It is different from Luzzato's other writings, which are more phi ...

Orchot Tzaddikim ''Orchot Tzaddikim'' (Hebrew: ארחות צדיקים "The Ways of the Justs") is a book on Jewish ethics written in Germany in the 15th century, entitled ''Sefer ha-Middot'' by the author, but called ''Orḥot Ẓaddiḳim'' by a later copyist. U ...

* Sefer Chasidim * Shaarei Teshuva * Sefer ha-Yir'ah * Chovot ha-Levavot *

Ma'alot ha-Middot Ma'alot-Tarshiha (; ) is a city in the North District in Israel, about east of Nahariya, and about above sea level. The city was established in 1963 through a municipal merger of the Arab town of Tarshiha and the Jewish town of Ma'alot, creatin ...

* Mishnat R' Aharon * Mikhtav me-Eliyahu * Tomer Devorah * Sichos Mussar * Pele Yoetz *

Kav ha-Yashar ''Kav ha-Yashar'' (lit. ''The Just Measure''; קב הישר), authored by Tzvi Hirsch Kaidanover (c. 1648–1712), a rabbi at Frankfurt and son of Aaron Samuel Kaidanover, is an "ethical-kabbalistic collection of stories, moral guidance, and cust ...

* Kad HaKemah * Madreigat Ha'Adam * Shemonah Perakim

Later works by historical period

Works of the Geonim

The

Geonim ''Geonim'' (; ; also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Talmudic Academies in Babylonia, Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura Academy , Sura and Pumbedita Academy , Pumbedita, in t ...

are the rabbis of Sura and Pumbeditha in

Babylon Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...

(650–1250 CE) : *''She'iltoth of Acha'i aon' *''

'' *'' Halachot Pesukot'', by Rav

Yehudai Gaon Yehudai ben Nahman (or Yehudai Gaon; Hebrew: יהודאי גאון, sometimes: Yehudai b. Nahman) was the head of the yeshiva in Sura from 757 to 761, during the Geonic period of Judaism. He was originally a member of the academy of Pumbedita, b ...

*''

Emunoth ve-Deoth ''The Book of Beliefs and Opinions'' (; ) is a book written by Saadia Gaon (completed 933) which is the first systematic presentation and philosophic foundation of the dogmas of Judaism. The work was originally in Judeo-Arabic in Hebrew letter ...

'' (

Saadia Gaon Saʿadia ben Yosef Gaon (892–942) was a prominent rabbi, Geonim, gaon, Jews, Jewish philosopher, and exegesis, exegete who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate. Saadia is the first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Judeo-Arabic ...

) *The ''

'' by Amram Gaon *

Responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

Works of the ''Rishonim'' (the "early" rabbinical commentators)

The

Rishonim ''Rishonim'' (; ; sing. , ''Rishon'') were the leading rabbis and ''posek, poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' (, "Set Table", a common printed code of Jewis ...

are the rabbis of the early medieval period (1000–1550 CE) *The commentaries on the Torah, such as those by

Rashi Shlomo Yitzchaki (; ; ; 13 July 1105) was a French rabbi who authored comprehensive commentaries on the Talmud and Hebrew Bible. He is commonly known by the List of rabbis known by acronyms, Rabbinic acronym Rashi (). Born in Troyes, Rashi stud ...

Abraham ibn Ezra Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (, often abbreviated as ; ''Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra''; also known as Abenezra or simply ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167)''Jewish Encyclopedia''online; '' Chambers Biographical Dictionar ...

, and

Nahmanides Moses ben Nachman ( ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (; ) and by the contemporary nickname Bonastruc ça Porta (; l ...

. *Commentaries on the Talmud, principally by

, his grandson

Samuel ben Meir Samuel ben Meir (Troyes, c. 1085 – c. 1158), after his death known as the "Rashbam", a Hebrew acronym for RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, was a leading French Tosafist and grandson of Shlomo Yitzhaki, "Rashi". Biography He was born in the vicinity of ...

and Nissim of Gerona. *Commentaries on the

, such as those composed by

Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and Jewish philosophy, philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah schola ...

Obadiah of Bertinoro Obadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro (; 1445 – 1515), commonly known as "The Bartenura", was a 15th-century Italian rabbi best known for his popular commentary on the Mishnah. In his later years, he rejuvenated the Jewish community of Jerusale ...

, and

Nathan ben Abraham Nathan ben Abraham, known also by the epithet ''President of the Academy'' () in the Land of Israel (died ca. 1045 – 1051), was an 11th-century rabbi and exegete of the Mishnah who lived in Ramla, in the Jund Filastin district of the Fatimid C ...

*Talmudic novellae ('' chiddushim'') by

Tosafists Tosafists were rabbis of France, Germany, Bohemia and Austria, who lived from the 12th to the mid-15th centuries, in the period of Rishonim. The Tosafists composed critical and explanatory glosses (questions, notes, interpretations, rulings and ...

, Nissim of Gerona,

Solomon ben Aderet Shlomo ben Avraham ibn Aderet ( or Solomon son of Abraham son of Aderet) (1235 – 1310) was a medieval rabbi, Halakha, halakhist, and Talmudist. He is widely known as the Rashba (Hebrew: ), the Hebrew acronym of his title and name: Rabbi Shlomo ...

(RaShBA), Yomtov ben Ashbili (Ritva) *Works of ''

halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...

'' (

Asher ben Yechiel Asher ben Jehiel (, or Asher ben Yechiel, sometimes Asheri) (1250 or 1259 – 1327) was an eminent rabbi and Talmudist best known for his abstract of Talmudic law. He is often referred to as Rabbenu Asher, “our Rabbi Asher” or by the Hebrew ...

Mordechai ben Hillel Mordechai ben Hillel HaKohen (; c. 1250–1298), also known as The Mordechai or, by some Sephardic scholars, as The Mordechie, was a 13th-century German rabbi and posek. His chief legal commentary on the Talmud, referred to as ''The Mordechai'', ...

) *Codices by

and

Jacob ben Asher Jacob ben Asher (c. 1270–1340), also known as Ba'al ha-Turim as well as Yaakov ben haRosh, was an influential Medieval rabbinic authority. He is often referred to as the Ba'al ha-Turim ("Author of the ''Turim''"), after his main work, the ''A ...

, and finally ''

Shulkhan Arukh The ''Shulhan Arukh'' ( ),, often called "the Code of Jewish Law", is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Rabbinic Judaism. It was authored in the city of Safed in what is now Israel by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in V ...

'' *

, e.g., by

(RaShBA) *

Kabbalistic Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal (). Jewi ...

works (such as the

) *Philosophical works (

Gersonides Levi ben Gershon (1288 – 20 April 1344), better known by his Graecized name as Gersonides, or by his Latinized name Magister Leo Hebraeus, or in Hebrew by the abbreviation of first letters as ''RaLBaG'', was a medieval French Jewish philosoph ...

) *Ethical works (

Bahya ibn Paquda Bahyā ibn Pāqudā (Bahya ben Joseph ibn Pakuda, Pekudah, Bakuda; , ), c. 1050–1120, was a Jewish philosopher and rabbi who lived in the Taifa of Zaragoza in al-Andalus (now Spain). He was one of two people now known as Rabbeinu Behaye, the o ...

Jonah of Gerona Jonah ben Abraham Gerondi (; died 1264), also known as Jonah of Girona and Rabbeinu Yonah (), was a Catalan rabbi and moralist, cousin of Nahmanides. He is most famous for his ethical work ''The Gates of Repentance'' (). Biography M ...

)

Works of the ''Acharonim'' (the "later" rabbinical commentators)

The

Acharonim In Halakha, Jewish law and history, ''Acharonim'' (, , ; ; ) are the leading rabbis and Posek, poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present, and more specifically since the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' ...

are the rabbis from 1550 to the present day. *Important Torah commentaries include ''Keli Yakar'' (

Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz (1550 – 21 February 1619) was a rabbi and Torah commentator, best known for his Torah commentary .Although most write this as ''Keli Yakar'', "the second word should be ''Yekar''" (יְקָר), as the voweliza ...

), ''Ohr ha-Chayim'' by Chayim ben-Attar, the commentary of

Samson Raphael Hirsch Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the '' Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', hi ...

, and the commentary of

Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin (20 November 1816 – 10 August 1893), also known as Reb Hirsch Leib Berlin, and commonly known by the acronym Netziv, was a Russian Orthodox rabbi, rosh yeshiva ( dean) of the Volozhin Yeshiva and author of several work ...

. *Important works of Talmudic novellae include: '' Pnei Yehoshua'', ''Hafla'ah'', ''Sha'agath Aryei'' *Responsa, e.g., by

Moses Sofer Moses Schreiber (1762–1839), known to his own community and Jewish posterity in the Hebrew translation as Moshe Sofer, also known by his main work ''Chatam Sofer'', ''Chasam Sofer'', or ''Hatam Sofer'' ( trans. ''Seal of the Scribe'', and acron ...

Moshe Feinstein Moshe Feinstein (; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moishe Fainshtein''; ; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was a Russian-born American Orthodox Jewish rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—Jewish law). He has been called ...

*Works of ''

'' and

codices The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

, e.g., ''

'' by

Yisrael Meir Kagan Yisrael Meir ha-Kohen Kagan (February 6, 1838 – September 15, 1933) was an influential Lithuanian Jewish rabbi, Halakhist, posek, and ethicist whose works continue to be widely influential in Orthodox Jewish life. He was known popularly as t ...

and the '' Aruch ha-Shulchan'' by

Yechiel Michel Epstein Yechiel Michel ha-Levi Epstein () (24 January 1829 – 25 March 1908), often called "the ''Aruch haShulchan''" after his magnum opus, '' Aruch HaShulchan'', was a Rabbi and ''posek'' (authority in Jewish law) in Lithuania. Biography Yechiel Mi ...

*Ethical and philosophical works:

Moshe Chaim Luzzatto Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (; also ''Moses Chaim'', ''Moise Vita'', ''Moses Hayyim'' or ''Luzzato''; 1707 – 16 May 1746), also known by the Hebrew acronym RaMCHaL (or RaMHaL; ), was an Italian Jewish rabbi, kabbalist, and philosopher. Biograph ...

and the Mussar Movement *

Hasidic Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those aff ...

works (''Kedushath Levi'', ''Sefath Emmeth'', ''Shem mi-Shemuel'') *Philosophical/metaphysical works (the works of the Maharal of Prague,

and ''Nefesh ha-Chayim'' by

Chaim of Volozhin Chaim of Volozhin (also known as Chaim ben Yitzchok of Volozhin or Chaim Ickovits; 21 January 1749 – 14 June 1821)Jewish Encyclopedia Bibliography: Fuenn, Keneset Yisrael, pp. 347–349; idem, Kiryah Ne'emanah, pp. 156–158; L ...

) *Mystical works *Historical works, e.g., ''Shem ha-Gedolim'' by

Chaim Joseph David Azulai Haim Yosef David Azulai ben Yitzhak Zerachia (; 1724 – 1 March 1806), commonly known as the Hida (also spelled Chida, the acronym of his name, ), was a Jerusalem born rabbi, rabbinical scholar, a noted bibliophile, and a pioneer in the publica ...

Mefareshim

''Mefareshim'' is a

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

word meaning "commentators" (or roughly meaning " exegetes"), ''Perushim'' means "commentaries". In

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

, these words refer to commentaries on the Torah (five books of Moses),

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. ''

, the

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

literature, or even the

siddur A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ''tef ...

(Jewish prayerbook), and more.

Classic Torah and Talmud commentaries

Classic Torah and/or Talmud commentaries have been written by the following individuals: *

, 10th century Babylon *

(Shlomo Yitzchaki), 12th century France **

Nachmanides Moses ben Nachman ( ''Mōše ben-Nāḥmān'', "Moses son of Nachman"; 1194–1270), commonly known as Nachmanides (; ''Nakhmanídēs''), and also referred to by the acronym Ramban (; ) and by the contemporary nickname Bonastruc ça Porta (; l ...

(Moshe ben Nahman) ** Samuel ben Meir, the

Rashbam Samuel ben Meir (Troyes, c. 1085 – c. 1158), after his death known as the "Rashbam", a Hebrew acronym for RAbbi SHmuel Ben Meir, was a leading French Tosafist and grandson of Shlomo Yitzhaki, "Rashi". Biography He was born in the vicinity of ...

, 12th century France **

, also known as Levi ben Gershom or Ralbag) **

David Kimhi ''Cervera Bible'', David Kimhi's Grammar Treatise David Kimhi (, also Kimchi or Qimḥi) (1160–1235), also known by the Hebrew acronym as the RaDaK () (Rabbi David Kimhi), was a medieval rabbi, biblical commentator, philosopher, and grammarian ...

, the Radak, 13th century France **

Joseph ben Isaac Bekhor Shor Joseph ben Isaac Bekhor Shor of Orléans (12th century) () was a French tosafist, exegete, and poet who flourished in the second half of the 12th century. He was the father of Abraham ben Joseph of Orleans and Saadia Bekhor Shor. Biography ...

, 12th century France ** Nissim of Gerona, also known as Nissim ben Reuben Gerondi, or the RaN, 14th century Spain **

Isaac Abarbanel Isaac ben Judah Abarbanel (;‎ 1437–1508), commonly referred to as Abarbanel (; also spelled Abravanel, Avravanel or Abrabanel), was a Portuguese Jewish politician, statesman, philosophy, philosopher, Rabbinic commentaries, Bible commentator ...

(1437–1508) **

Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno Ovadia ben Jacob Sforno (Obadja Sforno, Hebrew: עובדיה ספורנו) was an Italian rabbi, Biblical commentator, philosopher and physician. A member of the Sforno family, he was born in Cesena about 1475 and died in Bologna in 1549. Bi ...

, 16th century Italy *

** The

Vilna Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman''), also known as the Vilna Gaon ( ''Der Vilner Goen''; ; or Elijah of Vilna, or by his Hebrew acronym Gr"a ("Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"; Sialiec, April 23, 172 ...

, also known as Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, 18th century Lithuania ** The

Malbim Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser (March 7, 1809 – September 18, 1879), better known as the Malbim (), was a rabbi, master of Hebrew grammar, and Bible commentator. The name ''Malbim'' was derived from the Hebrew initials of his name. He ...

, Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser Classical Talmudic commentaries were written by Rashi. After Rashi, the

Tosafot The Tosafot, Tosafos or Tosfot () are Middle Ages, medieval commentaries on the Talmud. They take the form of critical and explanatory glosses, printed, in almost all Talmud editions, on the outer margin and opposite Rashi's notes. The authors o ...

was written, which was an omnibus commentary on the Talmud by the disciples and descendants of Rashi; this commentary was based on discussions done in the rabbinic academies of Germany and France.

Modern Torah commentaries

Modern Torah commentaries which have received wide acclaim in the Jewish community include: *''Haemek Davar'' by Rabbi

*The

Chofetz Chaim The ''Sefer'' ''Chofetz Chaim'' (or ''Chafetz Chaim'' or ''Hafetz Hayim'') (, trans. "Pursuer of Life") is a book by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, who is also called "the Chofetz Chaim" after it. The book deals with the Jewish laws of speech. The ...

*''Torah Temimah'' of Baruch ha-Levi Epstein *''Kerem HaTzvi'', by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber *''Sefat Emet'' (Lips of Truth), Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Ger, 19th century Europe *The "Pentateuch and Haftaras" by Joseph H. Hertz * ''Uebersetzung und Erklärung des Pentateuchs'' ("Translation and Commentary of the Pentateuch") by

* Nechama Leibowitz, a noted woman scholar * ''HaTorah vehaMitzva'' ("The Torah and the Commandment") by Meïr Leibush, the "

" *''Ha-Ketav veha-Kabbalah'' by Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg *The Soncino Books of the Bible *Richard Elliot Friedman's ''Commentary on the Torah'' (2001)

Modern Siddur commentaries

Modern Siddur commentaries have been written by: *Rabbi

HaCohen, ''The Chofetz Chaim's Siddur'' *

, ''The Hirsch Siddur'', Feldheim *

Abraham Isaac Kook Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as HaRav Kook, and also known by the Hebrew-language acronym Hara'ayah (), was an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbina ...

, ''Olat Reyia'' *The Authorised Daily Prayer Book with commentary by Joseph H. Hertz *

Elie Munk Elie Munk (1900–1981), was a German-born French rabbi and rabbinic scholar, "a scion of a long and distinguished line of German rabbis and scholars". A number of other Jewish scholars have similar names. ''Eliyahu Munk'' translated numerous Je ...

, ''The World of Prayer'', Elie Munk *

Nosson Scherman Rabbi Nosson Scherman (, born 1935, Newark, New Jersey) is an American Haredi rabbi best known as the general editor of ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications. He is widely considered to be the father of modern-day English Torah literature. Early life ...

, ''The

Artscroll ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Rahway, New Jersey. Rabbi Nosson Scherman is the general editor. ArtScro ...

Siddur'', Mesorah Publications *

Jonathan Sacks Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks (8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As ...

, in the '' Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the British Commonwealth'' (the new version of " Singer's Prayer Book") as well as the Koren Sacks Siddur. *

Reuven Hammer Reuven Hammer (; June 30, 1933 – August 12, 2019) was an American-Israeli Conservative rabbi, scholar of Jewish liturgy, author and lecturer who was born in New York. He was a founder of the "Masorti" (Conservative) movement in Israel and a pres ...

, ''Or Hadash'', a siddur commentary built around the text of Siddur Sim Shalom,

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) is the major congregational organization of Conservative Judaism in North America, and the largest Conservative Jewish communal body in the world. USCJ closely works with the Rabbinical Assembly ...

*''My Peoples Prayer Book'', Jewish Lights Publishing, written by a team of non-Orthodox rabbis and Talmud scholars.

References

Bibliography

* *''Introduction to Rabbinic Literature''

Jacob Neusner Jacob Neusner (July 28, 1932 – October 8, 2016) was an American academic scholar of Judaism. He was named as one of the most published authors in history, having written or edited more than 900 books. Neusner's application of form criticism� ...

, (Anchor Bible Reference Library/Doubleday) *''Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash'', H. L. Strack and G. Stemberger, (Fortress Press) *''The Literature of the Sages: Oral Torah, Halakha, Mishnah, Tosefta, Talmud, External Tractates,'' Shemuel Safrai and Peter J. Tomson (Fortress, 1987) *

External links

General

A survey of rabbinic literatureComprehensive listing by category - Global Jewish DatabaseOnline Resources for the Study of Rabbinic Literature

Links to full text resources

The Sefaria LibraryMechon MamreThe Electronic Torah Warehousehebrewbooks.org
*

Glossaries

Sources@JTS
{{Authority control Ancient Hebrew texts Chazal

Mishnaic literature

The Midrash

Later works by category

Aggada

Hasidic thought

Hebrew poetry

Jewish liturgy

Jewish philosophy

Kabbalah

Jewish law

Musar literature

Later works by historical period

Works of the Geonim

Works of the ''Rishonim'' (the "early" rabbinical commentators)

Works of the ''Acharonim'' (the "later" rabbinical commentators)

Mefareshim

Classic Torah and Talmud commentaries

Modern Torah commentaries

Modern Siddur commentaries

See also

Biblical figures in rabbinic literature

References

Bibliography

External links

General

Links to full text resources

Glossaries