The only English-language translation of the Tosefta (Â"supplementÂ"), which contains explanations and discussion not included in the Mishnah and is organized according to the same six divisions. Materials in the Tosefta are attributed to rabbinic authorities in the first and second centuries C.E., the same ones cited in the Mishnah, and as such the Tosefta is crucial to the study of formative rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity.
This two-volume edition, by renowned rabbinic scholar Jacob Neusner, contains the complete text of the original six-volume set. The following features enhance the usefulness of this new edition: the text is continuously paginated, with a new preface, a single general index, and a full index of biblical and talmudic references.
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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
