The Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud) and the Bavli (Babylonian Talmud) are the two compilations of Talmud that developed in the two major Jewish centres during the rabbinic era.

The Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud) and the Bavli (Babylonian Talmud) are the two compilations of Talmud that developed in the two major Jewish centres during the rabbinic era. While both contain the Mishnah and the Gemara, they differ in several key aspects.

Origin and Completion Date:

The Yerushalmi was compiled in the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael), specifically in the northern part of the province of Palestine, and was finished earlier, around 400-450 CE. It is also referred to as the Palestinian Talmud or the Talmud Eretz Yisrael.
The Bavli was redacted in Babylonia (modern-day Iraq), which the Jews of the period still called Bavel, between approximately 200 and 500 CE, with a final redaction possibly in the 6th century.

Language:

The Gemara of the Yerushalmi is primarily written in Palestinian Aramaic (also called Galilean Aramaic), a dialect of Western Aramaic, which is quite different from the Babylonian dialect. It also contains more Greek language and aphorisms.
The Gemara of the Bavli is written in a dialect of Eastern Aramaic, specifically Jewish Babylonian Aramaic, which were the spoken vernaculars at the time of writing.

Content and Style:

The Yerushalmi is shorter, less edited, and generally displays an earlier stage in the development of the text compared to the Bavli. Its content is described as more focused and succinct, presenting a looser collection of teachings and discussion with some repetition of material, leading some to believe its editing was never completed. Discussions in the Yerushalmi are more factual and apply argumentation through logical deduction. It also contains more long narrative portions.
The Bavli is significantly longer, containing about 2.5 million words. It is described as sophisticated and relatively uniform in style, suggesting editorial work was carried out on its content. Bavli discussions are more discursive, rambling, and rely more on anecdote and argumentation by syllogism and induction. Proportionally, it also has more non-legal material (aggadah).

Coverage of the Mishnah:

The Yerushalmi has Gemara on the first 39 tractates of the Mishnah. Notably, it covers all the tractates of Zeraim (the first Order), while the Bavli covers only tractate Berachot of this order, possibly because agricultural concerns were less significant in Babylonia.
The Bavli includes Gemara on thirty-six and a half non-consecutive tractates. Unlike the Bavli, the Yerushalmi does not cover the Mishnaic Order of Kodashim, which deals with sacrificial rites and laws pertaining to the Temple. Both Talmuds examine only one tractate of Tohorot (ritual purity laws), that of the menstrual laws (Niddah).

Authority and Influence:

The Bavli has traditionally been considered the more authoritative of the two Talmuds within Judaism. This reflects the fact that Babylonia was the dominant centre of Jewish life from talmudic times through the beginning of the medieval period. The first codifiers of halakhah (Jewish law) in the 8th-10th centuries based their legal writings on the Bavli. When the Yerushalmi and Bavli disagree, the Yerushalmi is generally disregarded.
The Yerushalmi fell into comparative obscurity and did not survive in its entirety, although there is renewed scholarly interest in it today. While the Bavli includes opinions of both Babylonian and later authorities, the Yerushalmi primarily includes the opinions of Israelite rabbis.

In summary, while both Talmuds serve as commentaries on the Mishnah, the Babylonian Talmud (Bavli) is generally longer, more comprehensive, more influential in the development of Jewish law, and written in a different dialect of Aramaic than the Jerusalem Talmud (Yerushalmi), which is shorter, more fragmented, and reflects the concerns and influences of the Land of Israel.

Briefing Document: The Talmud and Mishnah

This briefing document synthesises information from the provided sources to offer an overview of the Talmud and its foundational text, the Mishnah. It will explore their origins, structure, significance within Judaism, and some key themes and ideas.

1. Introduction to the Talmud

The Talmud is a vast collection of ancient Jewish laws, narratives (aggadah), and layers of commentary on those laws (halakha) and narratives. It was completed around 600 CE and has been central to Rabbinic Judaism ever since. (Literature and History Podcast)
For practicing Jews, the Talmud is considered a sacred body of work, second only to the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible/Old Testament) in esteem and cultural centrality. (Literature and History Podcast)
The Babylonian Talmud (Talmud Bavli) is the version most commonly referred to as “the Talmud.” It was redacted between approximately 200 and 500 CE in Sasanian Persia (Babylonia/modern-day Iraq). (How to Start Learning Talmud; Tale of Two Talmuds; Talmud – Wikipedia)
There is also the Jerusalem Talmud (Talmud Yerushalmi), compiled in the Land of Israel (though not specifically in Jerusalem) between approximately 200 and 400 CE. The Bavli is generally considered more authoritative and is more extensively studied due to the difficult political conditions in the Land of Israel at the time of the Yerushalmi’s redaction. (How to Start Learning Talmud; Tale of Two Talmuds)
The word “Talmud” is often translated as “study” or “teach,” reflecting that in rabbinic Judaism, the Talmud is both a body of writing and an ongoing activity of interpretation and engagement. (Literature and History Podcast)
Unlike the Hebrew Bible, which is regarded as divinely inspired and infallible, the Talmud is understood as a human work, open to scrutiny and debate by qualified specialists. (Literature and History Podcast)

2. Structure of a Talmud Page

A standard page of the Babylonian Talmud (daf) has a unique and consistent design. (Literature and History Podcast; How to Start Learning Talmud)
The central element is a rectangle of prose containing the Mishnah and Gemara. (Literature and History Podcast)
Surrounding this central text are further rectangles of commentary. Typically, Rashi’s commentary is on one side, and the Tosafist commentary on the other. Additional commentaries may also be present on the margins. (Literature and History Podcast; How to Start Learning Talmud)
The languages used on a Talmud page are primarily Mishnaic Hebrew (for the Mishnah), Biblical Hebrew (for quoted Tanakh), and Talmudic Aramaic (for the Gemara and some commentaries). (Literature and History Podcast)
This layered structure can be likened to a cross-section of a very old redwood tree, where the Mishna and Gemara form the oldest, innermost ring, and subsequent commentaries are the younger, outer rings that have accrued over time. (Literature and History Podcast)

3. The Mishnah: Foundation of the Talmud

The Mishnah is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions, known as the Oral Torah. It is also the first work of rabbinic literature. (Mishnah – Wikipedia)
It was redacted by Judah ha-Nasi probably between the end of the second and the beginning of the third century CE. The aim was to codify and clarify the Oral Torah for posterity, especially during a time of persecution and the risk of these traditions being forgotten. (Mishnah – Wikipedia)
The Mishnah is organised into six orders (sedarim, singular seder), each containing 7-12 tractates (masechtot, singular masechet), totaling 63 tractates. Each tractate is further divided into chapters (peraqim, singular pereq) and then paragraphs (mishnayot, singular mishnah). The term mishnah can refer to the entire collection or a single paragraph within it. (Mishnah – Wikipedia)
The six orders are: Zeraim (Seeds), Moed (Festival), Nashim (Women), Neziqin (Damages), Kodashim (Holies), and Tohorot (Purities). (Mishnah – Wikipedia)
The Mishnah presents discussions of law (halakha) or short narratives and essays followed by discussions (aggadah). Each mishnah in the centre of the Talmud page will be one of these. (Literature and History Podcast)
A halakha example from Mishnah Ketubot (59b) discusses a woman’s duties to her husband after marriage, noting that she is relieved of certain tasks if she brings maidservants with her. This mishnah also includes dissenting opinions from Rabbis Eliezer and Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel regarding idleness. (Literature and History Podcast)
Rabbinic Judaism considers the Oral Torah to have been given to Moses at Sinai as an exposition of the Written Torah. The Mishnah represents the first written form of these accumulated traditions. (Mishnah – Wikipedia)

4. The Gemara: Commentary and Analysis

The Gemara, meaning “completion” or “learning,” was written after the Mishnah and forms the next layer of the Talmud. (Literature and History Podcast)
It can be understood as a detailed “comments section” on the Mishnah, offering analysis, interpretations, and discussions of the Mishnah’s statements. (Literature and History Podcast)
The Gemara often cites other mishnayot and rabbinical pronouncements that may contradict or complicate the mishnah under discussion, leading to extensive and sometimes tangential discussions. (Literature and History Podcast)
Continuing the example from Ketubot 59b, the Gemara responds to the mishnah about women’s roles by quoting Rabbi Ḥiyya’s teaching that “Wives are for beauty…” and then explores rules regarding breastfeeding in different marital situations, questioning the initial Mishnaic statement. (Literature and History Podcast)

5. Key Themes and Ideas

Dialectical Nature: The Talmud is characterised by a dialectical system of learning, presenting laws or narratives followed by a range of analyses, dissenting opinions, and further observations from different rabbis. This contrasts with the monolithic nature of some other Abrahamic theological texts. (Literature and History Podcast)
Human Reason and Divine Law: While the Talmud views the Torah and Tanakh as divinely given, it also places significant faith in human reason and collective inquiry as essential tools for understanding and applying these laws in the real world. (Literature and History Podcast)
Importance of Disagreement: The Talmud chronicles numerous disagreements and confrontations between rabbis, presenting these as educational and productive processes that have shaped Rabbinic Judaism and Jewish culture. (Literature and History Podcast)
Practical Application of Law: The Talmud, despite its complex structure, is a deeply practical text that seeks to map out how to honour tradition and scripture while living under the realities of different historical periods. Even seemingly minor discussions can lead to profound insights. (Literature and History Podcast)
The Oven of Akhnai Story: This famous Talmudic story (from Nezikin) illustrates the principle that once the Torah was given to humanity, its interpretation rests with human reason and the consensus of rabbinic authorities, even if divine voices or miracles seem to suggest otherwise. Rabbi Yehoshua’s citation of Deuteronomy 30:12 (“It is not in heaven”) highlights this. God’s reported reaction, “[God] smiled and said: My children have triumphed over Me; My children have triumphed over me,” underscores the value placed on human intellectual engagement with divine law. (Literature and History Podcast)
Collective Inquiry: The Talmud embodies an “Enlightenment spirit of collective inquiry” long before the Enlightenment, functioning as a “self-contained academy” with primary sources and layers of scholarly interpretation. (Literature and History Podcast)

6. Significance and Influence

The Talmud has been the centerpiece of Jewish cultural life and foundational to Jewish thought and practice for centuries. (Talmud – Wikipedia)
It serves as the primary source of Jewish religious law (halakha) and Jewish theology. (Talmud – Wikipedia)
The study of the Talmud is a central activity in Jewish learning and continues to be undertaken in synagogues and yeshivas (religious schools) worldwide. (Literature and History Podcast)

7. Noteworthy Points

The Mishnah was compiled during a period of significant historical upheaval for the Jewish people, including the destruction of the Second Temple (70 CE). (Literature and History Podcast; Mishnah – Wikipedia)
The printed format of the Talmud page, particularly the “Vilna daf,” which became standard in the 19th century, is based on earlier printings from the 15th and 16th centuries. (How to Start Learning Talmud; Talmud – Wikipedia)
While the Babylonian Talmud is the dominant version, the Jerusalem Talmud also holds historical significance and offers insights into the development of Jewish law in the Land of Israel. (How to Start Learning Talmud; Tale of Two Talmuds)
The Talmud has faced periods of vilification and censorship throughout history, particularly from the Catholic Church. (Literature and History Podcast; Talmud – Wikipedia)
Despite its age and complexity, the Talmud continues to be a source of study, debate, and inspiration within Judaism and has also garnered interest and study outside of Jewish communities. (Literature and History Podcast; Talmud – Wikipedia)