See also: Chazal, Rabbinic Judaism and Oral Torah. Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, is the entire spectrum of works authored by rabbis throughout Jewish history. The term typically refers to literature from the Talmudic era (70–640 CE), as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writings. It aligns with the Hebrew term Sifrut Chazal (Hebrew: ספרות חז״ל), which translates to “literature [of our] sages” and generally pertains only to the sages (Chazal) from the Talmudic period. This more specific sense of "Rabbinic literature" - referring to the Talmud, Midrashim (Hebrew: מדרשים), and related writings, but hardly ever to later texts - is how the term is generally intended when used in contemporary academic writing. The terms mefareshim and parshanim (commentaries and commentators) almost always refer to later, post-Talmudic writers of rabbinic glosses on Biblical and Talmudic texts.
The Midr'she halakha, Mishnah, and 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 earliest extant material witness to rabbinic literature of any kind is the Tel Rehov inscription dating to the 6th–7th centuries, also the longest Jewish inscription from late antiquity.[1] Meanwhile, the earliest extant Talmudic manuscripts are from the 8th century.
See main article: 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 {{Harv|Holtz|2008}}] 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.
| 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 | Leviticus Rabbah | ||
| 650–900 CE | Midrash Proverbs 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 Ruth Zuta Lamentations Zuta | |||
| 1000–1200 | Midrash Aggadah of Moses ha-Darshan Midrash Tadshe | |||
| Later | Yalkut Shimoni Midrash ha-Gadol Ein Yaakov Numbers Rabbah | Sefer ha-Yashar |
See main article: Aggadah.
See main article: Jewish liturgy.
See main article: Jewish philosophy.
See main article: Kabbalah.
See main article: Halakha.
See main article: Musar literature.
The Geonim are the rabbis of Sura and Pumbeditha, in Babylon (650 - 1250) :
The Rishonim are the rabbis of the early medieval period (1000 - 1550)
The Acharonim are the rabbis from 1550 to the present day.
Mefareshim 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/or Talmud commentaries have been written by the following individuals:
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.
Modern Torah commentaries which have received wide acclaim in the Jewish community include:
Modern Siddur commentaries have been written by: