masechta

Masechta, in Jewish Rabbinic literature, is the Hebrew term for a tractate, a discrete unit of discussion within the Mishnah and the Talmud. A tractate focuses on a specific topic, such as ritual practice, civil law, holidays, or ethics, and is the basic building block used to organize Rabbinic legal and narrative material. The plural form is masechtot.

Historically, the concept originates with the Mishnah, compiled around the end of the 2nd century CE by Rabbi Judah haNasi. The Mishnah is arranged into six orders (sedarim): Zeraim, Moed, Nashim, Nezikin, Kodashim, and Taharot, and contains 63 tractates in total. The Talmud then expands the Mishnah with Gemara, a collection of later discussions and explanations. There are two primary Talmudic editions: the Babylonian Talmud (Bavli) and the Jerusalem Talmud (Yerushalmi), each compiling commentary on the same tractates though with different emphasis and material.

Most tractates have a recognizable structure: they are divided into chapters (perek), which are further subdivided into mishnayot (individual teachings). In the Talmud, tractates are studied with the accompanying Gemara, and the pages are traditionally referred to by the term daf (two-sided pages). Masechtot vary considerably in length and scope; some cover a narrow topic in a few chapters, while others span extensive legal and theoretical discussion. Examples of well-known tractates include Berakhot (blessings), Shabbat and Eruvin (ritual observance), Pesachim (Passover), Gittin and Kiddushin (marriage and divorce), and Bava Kama (damages).

In modern usage, masechtot are central to Rabbinic study and legal analysis, serving as the primary units by which scholars organize and cite Rabbinic literature.