What’s the Difference between the Torah and Talmud? 

Film Focus: In this brief video, David Ha’ivri explains the Jewish traditional understanding of Torah and Talmud and discusses the differences and interrelationship between the two.

Text Focus: Pages 50–53, 55–56

Discussion Questions:

1. Explain how the Jewish tradition would explain the Torah to an outsider. What does it contain? Where did it come from? How is it used?
2. How is the Torah related to the Christian Bible?
3. Discuss the Jewish tradition of authorship of the Torah compared with the Christian tradition of authorship of the Sacred Scriptures. How are they alike? How are they different?
4. Explain how the Jewish tradition would explain the Talmud to an outsider. What does it contain? Where did it come from? How is it used?
5. Why was the Talmud written so much later than the Torah? What historical events impacted it becoming a written text?

*Ave Maria Press has requested permission to link to this video for use in the classroom as part of the accompanying lesson. If for any reason, the producer does not wish this video to be included on this site, Ave Maria Press will remove it posthaste.