This book is a comprehensive collection of the teachings of the Talmud, the ancient Jewish text that is the basis of Rabbinic Judaism. It includes the Mishnah, the core text of the Talmud, as well as the Gemara, the rabbinic commentaries and interpretations of the
The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism, and second in authority only to the Hebrew Bible, the first five books of which form the Torah along with the texts in Nevi'im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). It is a primary source of Jewish law and Jewish theology. It consists of the part of the Oral Torah compiled in the Mishnah and its commentaries, the Gemara. It records the teachings, opinions and disagreements of thousands of rabbis and Torah scholars on a variety of subjects, including Halakha, Jewish ethics, philosophy, customs, history, and folklore among other topics. Until the Haskalah in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewish culture in nearly all communities and foundational to "all Jewish thought and aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews.