Reading
The very first activity that you will engage in to start the learning process is reading the text. As with reading any text you must first understand the words, put the words together into sentences and put the sentences together into paragraphs and topics. Reading the גמרא is a somewhat more difficult task as the language of the גמרא is Aramaic. Aramic is similar to Hebrew so a student who is familiar with Hebrew will have an advantage to understand the language structures and identify some common roots of words.
There are various tools available to the learner when trying to understand the words. There are various dictionaries available that translate words or phrases from the גמרא into various languages. One of the most comprehensive dictionaries is A Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature by Rabbi Marcus Jastrow. Additionally there are numerous translations of the גמרא into various languages. Two of the most popular translations are the Steinsaltz and Art Scroll / Schotenstein translations. Translations also provide you with punctuation and offer both background information and interpretation. Whether it is preferable to work through the understanding of individual words using a dictionary or make use of translations can be debated but they are both useful tools with advantages and disadvantages.
Putting the words together into sentences entails knowing when a sentence ends and what type of sentence it is. A sentence may be one of the following:
- Statement - the statement of a halachik position
- Question - a challenge to a halachik postion
- Answer - a response to a challenge
- Proof - another source that supports a given halachik position
Putting the sentences together into paragraphs and topics allows the learner to see what is essentially a conversation and follow the development of a particular halachik thought through the גמרא.
Proceed to an Overview of the process or Dive in to the process