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The Redaction of the Babylonian Talmud in Rabbi Y.I. Halevy’s Dorot HaRishonim – it’s part of the original form, which in fact was completed by R’ Acha bar Yaakov’s time 32 and his opinion is the final ruling in the matter. We have no later input from R’ Ashi or any other subsequent Amora. Says Halevy, this is the reason that the Rif ruled like R’ Acha bar Yaakov, and consequently there is no room for Tosafot’s argument and no need for the Rosh’s contortions. 33 In all these examples Halevy saw that a form of the Gemara 34 was in circulation already among the Amoraim. Generally speaking, we view the concept of stama de-gemara as a feature which later Halachic authorities, such as the Rishonim, can utilize to determine what the implicit ruling of the Gemara was. In most of Halevy’s examples one sees that this was a method that the Amoraim themselves applied when analyzing the words of earlier Amoraim - our stama de-gemara. We see R’ Ashi himself, the purported “compiler” of the Talmud, addressing difficulties in the stama de-gemara and relating to it as an authoritative corpus. If R’ Ashi compiled the Talmud, as many believed, then he authored the stama de-gemara! Halevy, and many others, see the above as clear evidence that the Talmud, or at least some form of it, pre-existed R’ Ashi’s generation. Who compiled this body and when it originated however is not clear from the text, and Halevy resorts to external evidence to locate its author and time frame, yet attempts to find some internal support for his theory. III. “Siddur Ha-Talmud” – Rava and Abaye Halevy asserts that the compilers of this early stratum of the Talmud were Abaye and Rava. It is not entirely clear precisely what he bases this upon. As noted, all that can be established from the text of the 32 During the middle of the 4 th century. 33 II, pp. 555-556 34 A “proto-Talmud” in the words of Goodblatt. 20
Rabbi Moshe Becker Talmud is the existence of earlier and later elements. To establish his argument that the earlier stratum originated with Rava and Abaye, Halevy pieces together various pieces of information. The first is a quote from R’ Sherira Gaon that during the time immediately preceding Abaye and Rava’s generation 35 the Jewish inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael were subject to severe persecution 36 . R’ Sherira Gaon does not state who was responsible for the persecution or what event or sequence of events brought it about. He does say however, that the persecution resulted in a mass influx of great Torah scholars from Eretz Yisrael to the academies in Babylonia, brought about by both the emigration of native scholars from Eretz Yisrael, as well as the permanent return of Babylonian scholars studying at the academies in Eretz Yisrael. R’ Sherira Gaon also states in several places, that although there had always been a number of academies in Babylonia, at various times one of those academies took precedence as the central academy 37 . Halevy at length deals with the history and details of these two reports, and concludes that during the generation of Abaye and Rava the academy at Pumbedita became not only the central academy in Bavel, but eventually the only one. Apparently combining these reports of R’ Sherira Gaon, Halevy states that Abaye and Rava found themselves presiding over a large, centralized academy between whose walls the greatest scholars of the generation had gathered to study and teach 38 . These scholars of diverse backgrounds, represented the many different traditions that had developed over time at the various academies of Eretz Yisrael and Bavel, and were the bearers of a wealth of material from their native academies, some of it contradictory or inconsistent, and the time was ripe for a thorough review and organization of all this information. Abaye and Rava, as the leaders of the academy, saw the 35 During the first half of the 4 th century. 36 II, pp. 366-372, 455-473 37 II, pp. 490-496 38 From p. 480 21
Page 1 and 2: Reshimu Studies in Jewish Thought a
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Reshimu Studies i
Page 5: Table of Contents Rambam’s Theory
Page 8 and 9: Introduction underlying cause of th
Page 10 and 11: Introduction A correction: In my ar
Page 12 and 13: The Redaction of the Babylonian Tal
Page 36 and 37: The Redaction of the Talmud stateme
Page 38 and 39: The Redaction of the Talmud Accordi
Page 40 and 41: The Redaction of the Talmud The Fre
Page 42 and 43: The Redaction of the Talmud this is
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Page 52 and 53: The Redaction of the Talmud Rav Ach
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Page 56 and 57: Aish Dat: A Brief History of the De
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Aish Dat: A Brief History of the De
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Rabbi Meir Triebitz Rambam’s Theo
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Rabbi Meir Triebitz The bulk of thi
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Rabbi Meir Triebitz consequence of
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Rabbi Meir Triebitz Saadiah could o
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Rabbi Meir Triebitz (Guide 64b/124)
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Rabbi Meir Triebitz basic premises
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Rabbi David Sedley Rav Moshe Taku:
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101 Rabbi David Sedley Torah metap
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