Reshimu_3_journal_no.. - Hashkafa Circle

Rabbi Moshe Becker
The Redaction of the Babylonian Talmud in Rabbi Y.I.
Halevy’s Dorot HaRishonim
By Rabbi Moshe Becker
I. Introduction
The Babylonian Talmud, the voluminous encyclopedia of Torah law,
ethics, and theology, is the written canon encompassing what is
otherwise known as the Oral Tradition. Yet this work, central as it is
to the lives of all practicing Jews, cannot be clearly traced to a specific
individual’s authorship, or even to a clearly defined time period. Not
only does the work itself not bear the name of an author or
publishing house, but the heels of history have kicked up a veritable
dust storm which obscured any possible tradition of authorship and
further complicated matters.
Strangely enough, even those classical writers upon whom one can
usually rely regarding matters of the transmission and development of
Torah, such as Rambam 1 , Ra’avad 2 , or R’ Sherira Gaon 3 , are
decidedly vague on the specific question of the Talmud’s redaction.
1 Both in his Introduction to the Mishna, and in the beginning of Mishna Torah.
2 Seder HaKabbala la-Ra’avad
3 Iggeret R’ Sherira Gaon
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