The Mishnah is the main text of the Talmud. A collection of terse teachings written in Hebrew, it was redacted by Rabbi Yehudah the Prince, in the years following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
The Talmud is divided into six general sections, called sedarim (“orders”), each of which is further divided into mesichtot (“tractates). Each mesichta comprises perakim (“chapters”). Every paragraph within these chapters is referred to as a mishnah.
In time, the traditions that surround and followed the Mishnah were collected into the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds.
The standard edition of Mishnah is printed with classic commentaries like the writings of Maimonides (Rambam), Rabbi Ovadia of Bertinoro (Bartenura) and Rabbi Yomtov Lipmann Heller (Tosafot Yom Tov).
The Hebrew word Mishnah contains the same letters as the word neshamah (“soul”). It is therefore customary to study Mishnah in the merit of a departed loved one.
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