The two most important works of post-biblical Jewish literature. The Babylonian (Bavli) Talmud, compiled around
AD 600, and the Jerusalem (Yerushalmi) Talmud, compiled around
AD 500, provide a compilation of ancient Jewish law and tradition. The Babylonian Talmud is the more authoritative version for later Judaism; both Talmuds are written in a mix of Hebrew and Aramaic. They contain the rabbinical commentary (the
Gemara) on the
Mishnah (early rabbinical commentaries committed to writing in about
AD 200). The Talmud can be generally divided into
Halachah (or Halakhah), consisting of legal and ritual matters, and
Haggadah (or Aggadah), concerned with ethical, theological, and folklorist matters.
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