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What is the Talmud? If youre into Jewish studies, youll find that the Talmud is one of the most
important books in Judaism, next to the Torah.
It is basically the Jewish oral tradition passed on through many generations in written form. Some
people consider this book as significant, if not more important than the Torah. (Theyre 2 Talmuds
actually).
The thing is though, the earliest known version of the Talmud is at about 500 A.D. On the other hand,
Moses, known as the writer of the Torah, was alive at around 1300 B.C.
Thats an 1800 year difference
So what caused this 1800 year difference between the Torah and the Jewish Talmud?
Originally, before the Talmud was written, Jewish tradition was transmitted by Rabbis orally. In essence,
ever since the establishment of Judaism, and specifically Jerusalem as home to the Jews, transmission by
writing wasnt necessary.
Stability in the past was central for the survival of oral tradition. And as known through historical
records, the temple of Jerusalem went down twice.
And with the 2nd time, it was realized that transmission of the tradition by writing was necessary.