gemara

Edit

Pronunciations

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

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. "A compilation of 300 years of rabbis' legal and ethical commentaries on the Mishnah...together, the Gemara and the Mishnah comprise the Talmud." (JPS)

Example Sentences

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

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Aramaic
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • Heb גמרא gemará, Yiddish 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).
      • View More

      Alternative Spellings

      gemorah, gemarah

Notes

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

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.