10133 Introduction to Oral Law 1

Credits: 6 intermediate credits in Oral Law

Prerequisites: none

Authors: Moshe Weiss, Joseph Agur, Yehezkel Luger, Yehonatan Etz-Chayim, Ben-Zion Rosenfeld, Yaacov Gartner

Oral Law includes the entire wisdom of the Rabbis as presented in the Halakhah (e.g., Mishnah and Talmud), Aggadah (e.g., Midrash), and Jewish philosophy through the ages.

Topics: Written and oral law; Halakhic Midrash – principles of interpretation, the school of Rabbi Akiva and of Rabbi Yishmael; The Mishnah – redaction history and editorial principles, interpretation of Mishnah; The Baraitot and the Tosephta – the relation between Tosephta and Mishnah, redaction of the Tosephta, commentaries; The Babylonian Talmud – interpretation of Mishnah by Amoraim, Amoraic innovation, redaction of the Babylonian Talmud, commentaries on Talmud; The Jerusalem Talmud – the Amoraim of the land of Israel, arrangement and closing of the Jerusalem Talmud; Aggadah – genres and literary devices; The authority of the Rabbis – interpretation, legislation and ruling, disputes, rabbinic courts; Regulations, decrees and custom – source and scope of rabbinic authority to dictate decrees and regulations, between custom and Halakhah; Law and morality – legal-moral concepts in the Halakhah; Jurisprudence and the Poskim – rules of Halakhic jurisprudence, collections of rulings; Responsa – development of Responsa literature, Responsa as a Halakhic source.

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1This course is also offered in Russian (42103). Its description is available on the Russian-language website of the Open University (https://www-r.openu.ac.il/).

There is some overlap in the content of this and other courses. For details, see Overlapping Courses.