What is Talmud, rashi and all the other writings that are not in the Tanakh?

Question

becaise i what to read these

Answer 1

Talmud is rabbinic commentaries on the Torah. Rashi was a later rabbi (Middle Ages) who wrote commentaries on the Talmud and Torah. Judaism has this neat trick of carrying its entire history of debate around with it, commentaries upon commentaries, with each generation expected to study and form its own views.

Barry Holtz's _Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts_ is old, but an excellent introduction to the different categories of writings. I've taught classes based on it, concise but covers a lot of ground. I don't know if it's still in print, try university libraries or a place like Abe's Books.

Do try to find a group at a synagogue or a university class to sit in on. These texts tend to be compressed and it really helps to have more experienced people around.

Answer 2

THe Talmud is a giant encyclopedic work that is made up of various discussions between early rabbis from the time of Ezra and Nehemia up to the fifth century.

They trace back what they believe the Jewish law to be to Moses by citing what other Rabbis and teachers said back through history, or through scriptural exegesis. At the end of each arguement, it is shown what the law really is, usually. Some disputes are left open.

It's in Aremaic, and is not fun to read because it's like a legal treatise on boring subjects, like field law, and damages between animals, and how one can cut certain trees. Some parts are stories, they are more fun. Some of them are even exciting, scary sotries.

If you go through 8 pages front and back every day (most people struggle to do 1) you will finish in a year.

Rashi is an acronym for Rabbi Shlomo the son of Yitzakh (Solomon son of Isaac). He lived in the 1100s and made a commentary for pretty much every major Jewish work based on every other Jewish work and what he was taught by his father Rabbi Isaac. It's difficult in the extreme to know what the Talmud is saying without Rashi.

Judaism is one of the more booky religions, so if there's another book you'd like to discuss, maybe ask the question specifically, or it would be necessary to talk about a few hundred works.