Talmudu

Talmudu, commonly transliterated as Talmud, is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and a primary source for Jewish law, ethics, and theology. It is not a single code but a compilation of discussions and decisions by generations of rabbis on earlier legal and narrative material.

It exists in two major versions: the Babylonian Talmud (Bavli), produced in Babylonia roughly in the 5th to 6th centuries CE, and the Jerusalem Talmud (Yerushalmi), produced in the Land of Israel in the 4th to 5th centuries CE. The Bavli is larger and more influential in most traditional Jewish communities; the Yerushalmi is generally more concise and context-specific.

Each Talmud comprises the Mishnah, a codified collection of oral laws edited around 200 CE by Rabbi Judah haNasi, and the Gemara, a collection of debates, commentaries, and supplemental material. The language is primarily Hebrew for the Mishnah and Aramaic for much of the Gemara, with layered legal and narrative passages.

Through its analytic method, the Talmud lays out legal issues (halakhot), dialectic arguments, and aggadic material including stories, ethics, and theology. It has shaped Jewish law and practice for centuries and continues to be central in yeshiva study, influencing later codes and authorities across Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions.