Concludes Neusner's translation of the whole of Tosefta. The fourth division is based on M. S. Zuckermandel's 1881 reproduction of the Vienna manuscript. A vine to the trellis of the Mishnah, he says, it explains, elaborates, augments, cites, glosses, and adds relevant cases and examples. The 1981 edition was published by KTAV Publishing.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
The Essential Supplement:
"Tosefta" means "supplement" or "addition" in Aramaic. The Tosefta adds to the debate among the Rabbis interpreting Biblical law that is captured in the Mishnah, the fundamental post-Biblical text of Judaism. The Rabbis (some say Rabbis Chiya and Oshaiah) gathered the Tosefta in the third century of the Common Era, arranging it according to the same tractate headings as the Mishnah (which became settled about 200 C.E.). Some scholars believe that the Tosefta captures material from before the Mishnah. Much... more info
Neusner's Translation:
Neusner's translation, given that it is the only one out there right now, will have to do for those who don't have facility in Rabbinic Hebrew. However, you have to be very careful if this is your only source for the Tosefta, for two very different reasons. First, Neusner and his students are notorious for their lack of emphasis on the precise meaning of words; sometimes they simply get it wrong. Second, there is a growing consensus that, at least in parallel material, the Tosefta preserves an... more info
