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MISHNAH*
Series of interpretations of the meaning of the law; according to rabbinic tradition, they were given when Moses received the law from God on Mt Sinai, and they were to be passed down in oral form. This “oral tradition” was the “law” to which Jesus referred, for example, in Matthew 15:1-9. By about AD 200, under Rabbi Judah, the work begun by Rabbi Akiba around 120 was completed, and the oral tradition was finally written down. This written material is called the Mishnah. The word is derived from a verb that reflects the way the material had been repeated orally from teacher to disciple for many generations.
The Mishnah is divided into six “orders”; each order is divided into sections called “tractates,” which in turn are divided into chapters. The orders deal with specific areas of legal concerns as follows:
1. Seeds is concerned with agricultural laws, and is introduced with a tractate dealing with daily prayers.
2. Festivals deals with feasts, fast days, and Sabbath regulations.
3. Women records marriage and family laws.
4. Injuries deals with civil/criminal law and ethical standards.
5. Holy Things concerns the ritual laws and the activities of the priesthood.
6. Purifications elaborates the laws of ritual purity.
The Mishnah, which is essentially a commentary on the OT law, forms the basis for the Gemara and the Talmud.