Mishna

Mishnah, also spelled Mishna, Hebrew: משנה, is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral laws and the foundational text of Rabbinic Judaism. Traditionally compiled by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi in the Land of Israel toward the end of the 2nd century CE, it aimed to preserve the oral traditions that had circulated among scholars for generations.

Content and structure: The Mishnah records legal decisions, ethical teachings, and practical rulings transmitted orally. It is organized into six orders (Sedarim): Zeraim (Seeds), Moed (Festivals), Nashim (Women), Nezikin (Damages), Kodashim (Holy Things), and Teharot (Purities). It contains 63 tractates, covering topics from agriculture and prayer to civil law, marriage and divorce, and ritual purity. The text is written in Mishnaic Hebrew with some Aramaic terms.

Relation to the Talmud: The Mishnah serves as the core text for later rabbinic analysis found in the Gemara, and together they form the Talmud. Two Talmuds exist—the Babylonian and the Jerusalem Talmud—each offering commentary and discussion on the Mishnah’s laws and teachings.

Significance: The Mishnah provided a centralized, authoritative code of Jewish law and practice that could be studied across disparate communities. Its influence extends through medieval and modern rabbinic literature and continues to shape Jewish legal thought and daily practice.