A Popular Dictionary of Judaism
The *Oral law. The term ‘mishnah’ can mean the entire corpus of oral law. It is also the title of *Judah Ha Nasi’s great compilation of oral law. This Mishnah was a combination and selection of existing mishnah and was compiled in the 2nd century CE.
It is divided into six sedarim (‘Orders’) namely Zeraim (‘seeds’), Moed (‘Festivals’), Nashim (‘Women’), Nezikin (‘Damages’), Kodashim (‘Holy Things’) and Tohorot (‘Purities’). Each seder was divided into *'massekhtot’ (‘tractates’) which are in different orders in the different manuscripts. The Mishnah contains many different views as well as those of Judah HaNasi. The first surviving printed edition dates from 1492. (See also *ORAL LAW, *TALMUD).
This is the complete article, containing 111 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
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