Rabbinic literature

Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term Sifrut Chazal (Hebrew: ספרות חז״ל‎ "Literature [of our] sages," where Hazal normally refers only to the sages of the Talmudic era). This more specific sense of "Rabbinic literature"—referring to the Talmudim, Midrash (Hebrew: מדרש‎), and related writings, but hardly ever to later texts—is how the term is generally intended when used in contemporary academic writing. On the other hand, the terms meforshim and parshanim (commentaries/commentators) almost always refer to later, post-Talmudic writers of rabbinic glosses on Biblical and Talmudic texts.

This article discusses rabbinic literature in both senses. It begins with the classic rabbinic literature of the Talmudic era (Sifrut Hazal), and then adds a broad survey of rabbinic writing from later periods.

Mishnaic literature[]

The Mishnah and the Tosefta (compiled from materials pre-dating the year 200 CE) are the earliest extant works of rabbinic literature, expounding and developing Judaism's Oral Law, as well as ethical teachings. Following these came the two Talmuds:

The Gemara, analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah, c. 350–400 CE.
The Jerusalem Talmud, c. 450 CE
The Babylonian Talmud, full canonization of the all previous texts c. 600 CE.
The minor tractates (part of the Babylonian Talmud)

The Midrash[]

Midrash (pl. Midrashim) is a Hebrew word referring to a method of reading details into, or out of, a biblical text. The term midrash also can refer to a compilation of Midrashic teachings, in the form of legal, exegetical, homiletical, or narrative writing, often configured as a commentary on the Bible or Mishnah. There are a large number of "classical" Midrashic works spanning a period from Mishnaic to Geonic times, often showing evidence of having been worked and reworked from earlier materials, and frequently coming to us in multiple variants. A compact list of these works [based on (Holtz 1984)] is given below; a more thorough annotated list can be found under Midrash. The timeline below must be approximate because many of these works were composed over a long span of time, borrowing and collating material from earlier versions; their histories are therefore somewhat uncertain and the subject of scholarly debate. In the table, "n.e." designates that the work in question is not extant except in secondary references.

Extra-canonical rabbinical literature ("n.e." designates "not extant")
Estimated date	Exegetical	Homiletical	Narrative
Tannaitic period (till 200 CE)	Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimon Mekilta le-Sefer Devarim (n.e.) Sifra Sifre Sifre Zutta	Alphabet of Akiba ben Joseph (?)	Seder Olam Rabbah
400–650 CE	Genesis Rabbah Lamentations Rabbah	Leviticus Rabbah
650–900 CE	Midrash Proverbs Midrash Tanhuma Ecclesiastes Rabbah	Deuteronomy Rabbah Pesikta de-Rav Kahana Pesikta Rabbati Avot of Rabbi Natan	Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer Seder Olam Zutta Tanna Devei Eliyahu
900–1000 CE	Midrash Psalms Exodus Rabbah
1000–1200	Midrash Aggadah of Moses ha-Darshan Midrash Tadshe
Later	Yalkut Shimoni Midrash ha-Gadol Ein Yaakov Numbers Rabbah		Sefer ha-Yashar

Later works by category[]

Aggada[]

Alphabet of Rabbi Akiva
Ein Yaakov
Legends of the Jews
Midrash HaGadol
Midrash Hashkem
Midrash Rabba
Midrash Shmuel
Midrash Tehillim
Pesikta de-Rav Kahana
Pesikta Rabbati
Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer
Seder Olam Rabbah
Seder Olam Zutta
Sefer HaAggadah
Sefer haYashar (midrash)
Smaller midrashim
Tanhuma
Tanna Devei Eliyahu
Tseno Ureno
Yalkut Shimoni

Hasidic thought[]

Kedushas Levi
Tanya

Hebrew poetry[]

Biblical poetry
Medieval Hebrew poetry

Jewish liturgy[]

Piyyut
Siddur

Jewish philosophy[]

Bachya ibn Pakuda
Chovot HaLevavot
Emunot v'Dayyot
Guide for the Perplexed
Isaac Israeli ben Solomon
Kuzari
Or Adonai
Philo
Sefer ha-Ikkarim
Wars of the Lord

Kabbalah[]

Etz Chaim
Maggid Mesharim
Pardes Rimonim
Sefer haBahir
Sefer Raziel HaMalakh
Sefer Yetzirah
Tikunei haZohar
Tomer Devorah
Zohar

Jewish law[]

Arba'ah Turim
Aruch HaShulchan
Beit Yosef
Chayei Adam
Darkhei Moshe
Halachot Gedolot
Hilchot HaRif
Kessef Mishneh
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch
Minchat Chinuch
Mishnah Berurah
Mishneh Torah
Responsa literature
Sefer ha-Chinuch
Sefer Hamitzvot
Sefer Mitzvot Gadol
Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch HaRav

Musar literature[]

Mesillat Yesharim
Orchot Tzaddikim
Sefer Chasidim
Shaarei Teshuva

Later works by historical period[]

Works of the Geonim[]

The Geonim are the rabbis of Sura and Pumbeditha, in Babylon (650 - 1250) :

She'iltoth of Acha'i [Gaon]
Halachot Gedolot
Halachot Pesukot, by Rav Yehudai Gaon
Emunoth ve-Deoth (Saadia Gaon)
The Siddur by Amram Gaon
Responsa

Works of the Rishonim (the "early" rabbinical commentators)[]

The Rishonim are the rabbis of the early medieval period (1000 - 1550)

The commentaries on the Torah, such as those by Rashi, Abraham ibn Ezra and Nahmanides.
Commentaries on the Talmud, principally by Rashi, his grandson Samuel ben Meir and Nissim of Gerona.
Commentaries on the Mishnah, such as those composed by Maimonides, Obadiah of Bertinoro, and Nathan ben Abraham
Talmudic novellae (chiddushim) by Tosafists, Nahmanides, Nissim of Gerona, Solomon ben Aderet (RaShBA), Yomtov ben Ashbili (Ritva)
Works of halakha (Asher ben Yechiel, Mordechai ben Hillel)
Codices by Maimonides and Jacob ben Asher, and finally Shulkhan Arukh
Responsa, e.g. by Solomon ben Aderet (RaShBA)
Kabbalistic works (such as the Zohar)
Philosophical works (Maimonides, Gersonides, Nahmanides)
Ethical works (Bahya ibn Paquda, Jonah of Gerona)

Works of the Acharonim (the "later" rabbinical commentators)[]

The Acharonim are the rabbis from 1550 to the present day.

Important Torah commentaries include Keli Yakar (Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz), Ohr ha-Chayim by Chayim ben-Attar, the commentary of Samson Raphael Hirsch, and the commentary of Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin.
Important works of Talmudic novellae include: Pnei Yehoshua, Hafla'ah, Sha'agath Aryei
Responsa, e.g. by Moses Sofer, Moshe Feinstein
Works of halakha and codices e.g. Mishnah Berurah by Yisrael Meir Kagan and the Aruch ha-Shulchan by Yechiel Michel Epstein
Ethical and philosophical works: Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Yisrael Meir Kagan and the Mussar Movement
Hasidic works (Kedushath Levi, Sefath Emmeth, Shem mi-Shemuel)
Philosophical/metaphysical works (the works of the Maharal of Prague, Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and Nefesh ha-Chayim by Chaim of Volozhin)
Mystical works
Historical works, e.g. Shem ha-Gedolim by Chaim Joseph David Azulai.

Meforshim[]

Meforshim is a Hebrew word meaning "commentators" (or roughly meaning "exegetes"), Perushim means "commentaries". In Judaism these words refer to commentaries on the Torah (five books of Moses), Tanakh, Mishnah, Talmud, the responsa literature, or even the siddur (Jewish prayerbook), and more.

Classic Torah and Talmud commentaries[]

Classic Torah and/or Talmud commentaries have been written by the following individuals:

Geonim
- Saadia Gaon, 10th century Babylon
Rishonim
- Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki), 12th century France
- Abraham ibn Ezra
- Nachmanides (Moshe ben Nahman)
- Samuel ben Meir, the Rashbam, 12th century France
- Gersonides, also known as Levi ben Gershom or Ralbag)
- David Kimhi, the Radak, 13th century France
- Joseph ben Isaac Bekhor Shor, 12th century France
- Nissim of Gerona, also known as Nissim ben Reuben Gerondi, or the RaN, 14th century Spain
- Isaac Abarbanel (1437–1508)
- Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno, 16th century Italy
Acharonim
- The Vilna Gaon, also known as Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, 18th century Lithuania
- The Malbim, Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser

Classical Talmudic commentaries were written by Rashi. After Rashi the Tosafot were written, which was an omnibus commentary on the Talmud by the disciples and descendants of Rashi; this commentary was based on discussions done in the rabbinic academies of Germany and France.^{[citation needed]}

Modern Torah commentaries[]

Modern Torah commentaries which have received wide acclaim in the Jewish community include:

Haemek Davar by Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin
The Chofetz Chaim
Torah Temimah of Baruch ha-Levi Epstein
Kerem HaTzvi, by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber
Sefat Emet (Lips of Truth), Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Ger, 19th century Europe
The "Pentateuch and Haftaras" by Joseph H. Hertz
Uebersetzung und Erklärung des Pentateuchs ("Translation and Commentary of the Pentateuch") by Samson Raphael Hirsch
Nechama Leibowitz, a noted woman scholar
HaTorah vehaMitzva ("The Torah and the Commandment") by Meïr Leibush, the "Malbim"
Ha-Ketav veha-Kabbalah by Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg
The Soncino Books of the Bible
Richard Elliot Friedman's Commentary on the Torah (2001)

Modern Siddur commentaries[]

Modern Siddur commentaries have been written by:

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan HaCohen, The Chofetz Chaim's Siddur
Samson Raphael Hirsch, The Hirsch Siddur, Feldheim
Abraham Isaac Kook, Olat Reyia
The Authorised Daily Prayer Book with commentary by Joseph H. Hertz
Elie Munk, The World of Prayer, Elie Munk
Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Siddur, Mesorah Publications
Jonathan Sacks, in the Authorised Daily Prayer Book of the British Commonwealth (the new version of "Singer's Prayer Book") as well as the Koren Sacks Siddur.
Reuven Hammer, Or Hadash, a siddur commentary built around the text of Siddur Sim Shalom, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
My Peoples Prayer Book, Jewish Lights Publishing, written by a team of non-Orthodox rabbis and Talmud scholars.

Bibliography[]

Back to the Sources: Reading the Classic Jewish Texts, Barry W. Holtz, (Summit Books)
Introduction to Rabbinic Literature Jacob Neusner, (Anchor Bible Reference Library/Doubleday)
Introduction to the Talmud and Midrash, H. L. Strack and G. Stemberger, (Fortress Press)
The Literature of the Sages: Oral Torah, Halakha, Mishnah, Tosefta, Talmud, External Tractates, Shemuel Safrai and Peter J. Tomson (Fortress, 1987)

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