Gemara

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Pronunciations

Gemara (geh-mah-RAH) listen
Gemara (geh-MUH-ruh) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A text compiling 300 years of rabbinical legal and ethical commentaries on the Mishnah, forming the second part of the Talmud.

  • n. A particular tractate in the Gemara.

Example Sentences

  • "Traditionally, Jewish boys begin studying Gemara at age 10."

  • "He started to splutter that he didn't remember exactly which Daf it was on. 'There's no such Gemara!' I said. I really don't know if he was aware that he was entirely fabricating a Gemara or not. But I find it amazing that people are so entirely out of touch with what Chazal really said about this sort of thing, and with what Jews traditionally did, until just a few decades ago." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Aramaic
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • A גמרא gemará > Y גמרא g(e)móre

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
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      Alternative Spellings

      Gemorah, Gemarah, Gemoro, Gemmorah, Gemmora, Gemora

Notes

  • Non-Orthodox Jews are more likely to use the term "Talmud".

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