{"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Learn-to-Read-the-Talmud-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Learn-to-Read-the-Talmud-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c2\/Learn-to-Read-the-Talmud-Step-1.jpg\/aid2161612-v4-728px-Learn-to-Read-the-Talmud-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative Commons<\/a><br>

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<\/p><\/div>"} 1 There are 2 Talmuds: The Babylonian Talmud and The Jerusalem Talmud. Ask your rabbi which Talmud to study and why. The main Talmud studied is the Babylonian.

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<\/p><\/div>"} 5 Study the Mishnah. Formally, the Talmud is organized as a commentary on the Mishnah, although its frequent digressions give it a much wider scope. For breadth of knowledge, studying the Mishnah in English may be useful at the outset, but it is important to become skilled at reading it in Hebrew. Many beginning students of Mishnah have found the edition with the commentary of Rabbi Pinchas Kehati particularly valuable.

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<\/p><\/div>"} 6 Study a traditional Jewish work written in Hebrew without vowels and symbols. The Talmud and its commentaries do not include them, which many beginning students find intimidating. Mastering the skill of reading Hebrew without vowels and symbols before starting to study Talmud makes this transition easier. A particularly good text to use for this purpose is the restatement of Jewish Law by Moses Maimonides, known to traditional Jews as "The Rambam"; his book is known in Hebrew as "Mishnah Torah". It is written in a Hebrew style similar to that of the Mishnah, and includes information that will be useful when beginning Talmud study. Beginners may wish to start with the Koren Talmud Bavli edition, which has a clear English translation of the Talmud text and the traditional "Daf Vilna" page with vowels and symbols. It also has helpful commentary and notes in the margins by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, which clarifies the Talmudic text.

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<\/p><\/div>"} 7 Acquire a basic knowledge of Aramaic grammar. Many beginning students of Talmud skip this step, and later encounter serious difficulties because they did so. Aramaic has several dialects, so try to find a resource that focuses on the dialect of the Babylonian Talmud. 'Aiding Talmud Study' by Rabbi Aryeh Carmell and "The Reference Guide to the Talmud," also by Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz are popular choices for this purpose.

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<\/p><\/div>"} 8 Begin studying the Talmud. For this you will need, at a minimum, two other people: 1. A rabbi or Hebrew teacher, whose knowledge and skill in Talmud study should be far above your own.

2. A study partner, whose knowledge and skill in Talmud study should be as near as possible to yours. The preferred method of study is that you and your study partner go over a section of Talmudic text together, challenging each other until each is certain that both fully understand every word, phrase, statement, and argument in the passage and the structure of the passage as a whole. The pair - or pairs - who make up the Hebrew teacher's Talmud class then meet with the Hebrew teacher, who uses a kind of Socratic method to uncover and remedy any misunderstandings, and to reveal deeper levels of meaning in the text than the students would be able to see on their own. For this you will need, at a minimum, two other people: