What is Gemara?גמרא
The Gemara is the component of the Talmud that records the rabbinic analysis and debate of the Mishnah; Mishnah and Gemara together make up the Talmud.
Also written: Gemora, Gemarah, Gemoro, Gemarra
The Mishnah states the law concisely. The Gemara is the record of generations of scholars examining it — reconciling contradictions, tracing sources, and pressing on the reasoning. It is written largely in Aramaic and follows the Mishnah's order, which is why the two are printed together on the same page.
In ordinary speech 'a Gemara' means a volume of Talmud rather than the Gemara text specifically, so a listing titled 'Gemara Berachos' is a Talmud volume covering tractate Berachos. Buyers care about the edition above almost everything else, because page layout, included commentaries, and physical size vary substantially between them.
Browse Gemara listings on SimplySefer
Sources
- Talmud Bavli (Sefaria) — the full text, arranged by tractate and folio
Related terms
- Shas — Shas is the complete Talmud — an acronym for Shisha Sidrei Mishnah, the six orders of the Mishnah — usually sold as a multi-volume bound set.
- Mishnah — The Mishnah is the earliest written compilation of the Jewish Oral Law, redacted by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi around 200 CE and organised into six orders.
- Mesechta — A mesechta is a single tractate of the Talmud — one topical volume such as Berachos or Bava Metzia — which can be bought individually rather than as part of a full Shas.
- Daf Yomi — Daf Yomi is a worldwide programme in which participants study one double-sided page of Talmud each day, completing the entire Talmud in roughly seven and a half years.