The Tosefta ( "supplement, addition") is a compilation of Jewish Oral Law from the late second century CE, the period of the Mishnah and the Jewish sages known as the Tannaim.
Background
Jewish teachings of the Tannaitic period were characteristically transmitted orally, and consisted of short sayings presented with or without attribution, which were memorized through repetition (Shanah in Hebrew) and recited in halls of study. The oral traditions were no doubt transmitted as different collections by different scholars, though the Babylonian Talmud refers to a fixed work known as Tosefta, which was an integral part of a scholar's education. Geonic sources attest to the existence of a single work named Tosefta which is identical to the Tosefta known today. it often complements the Mishna and expands upon it, and it served as the primary commentary on it for the Amoraim, creators of the Talmuds. The Mishnah () is the basic compilation of the Oral law of Judaism; according to the tradition, it was compiled in 189 CE. The Tosefta closely corresponds to the Mishnah, with the same divisions for sedarim ("orders") and masekhtot ("tractates"), though there are three tractates in the Mishnah with no corresponding tractates in the Tosefta, those of Tamid, Middot and Kinnim, all at the end of the order of 'Kodashim'. The tractate 'Avot' from the order of 'Nezikin' is also absent from the Tosefta, though 'Avot de-Rabbi Natan' may be considered as filling its place. Many scholars have suggested that the order in the Tosefta follows an earlier version of the Mishna.
The Tosefta often augments the Mishnah with additional glosses and discussions. The mention of sages from the generation after Rabbi Judah HaNasi implies that it would necessarily have been redacted after the Mishnah. Various collections of Tannaitic traditions have been attributed to different sages, including Rabbi Hiyya, Rabbi Hoshaya, and Bar Kappara, all contemporaries of Rabbi Judah HaNasi, and it is possible that these collections played a role in the Tosefta's compilation. stated that Rabbi Nehemiah, a younger contemporary of Rabbi Akiva, was the author of the anonymous traditions in the Tosefta. According to another passage in the Talmud, the Tosefta was redacted by Hiyya bar Abba and one of his students, Hoshaiah II. The ambiguity in the Talmud ultimately led to disagreement between the Gaonim and Rishonim on the issue of authorship. The majority, including Rabbi Nissim Ben Yaakov, Rabbi Sherira ben Hanina, Maimonides, and Rashi, conclude that Rabbi Hiyya was the author; Menachem HaMeiri suggests Bar Kappara, and a letter from the Cairo Geniza mentions Rabbi Hoshaya as such. Based on the tradition attributed to Rabbi Yochanan above, some have proposed that Rabbi Nehemia was the editor of the Tosefta as well. Others, such as Hanokh Albeck, theorize that the Tosefta is a later compendium of several baraitot collections that were in use during the Amoraic period. Shamma Friedman has found that the Tosefta draws on relatively early Tannaitic source material and that parts of the Tosefta predate the Mishnah.
Authority
Sherira ben Hanina (987 CE), in his epistle written to the heads of the Jewish community in Kairouan (now in Tunisia), discusses the authority of the Tosefta in relation to the Mishnah. There, he writes:
Sherira then brings down the reverse of this example: "Or, let us suppose that Rebbe [Yehuda Ha-Nassi] in the Mishnah records a dispute between R. Meir and R. Yosi. However, R. Ḥiya prefers R. Meir's argument and records it in a Baraita without mentioning R. Yosi's opposing view. In such a case, we do not accept [R. Ḥiya's] decision."
Character
At times the commentary character of the Tosefta is explicit, as it will address the reasons for various statements of the Mishna in the form of questions and answers. In other instances the Tosefta will provide a commentary which is interwoven with the words of the Mishna, or attached to the end of a Mishnaic passage as an appendix. When the Mishna discusses a prohibition in any given topic, the Tosefta will often supplement it with what may be permitted, and conversely when a permitted action is discussed, the Tosefta may supplement it with the prohibitions related to it. Accordingly, certain topics discussed generally in the Mishna will be expanded and will receive a detailed elaboration, and previously undiscussed cases will be covered.
Manuscripts, editions commentaries, and translations
thumb|250px|[[Mosaic of Rehob (3rd–6th century CE), quoting a baraita which also appears in the Tosefta (Shviit 4)]]
Manuscripts
Three manuscripts exist of the Tosefta:
- 'Vienna' (late 13th century; Oesterreichische Nationalbibliothek Cod hebr. 20; the only complete manuscript)
- 'Erfurt' (12th century; Berlin – Staatsbibliothek (Preußischer Kulturbesitz) Or. fol. 1220)
- 'London' (15th century; London – British Library Add. 27296; contains Seder Mo'ed only)
The Editio Princeps was printed in Venice in 1521 as an addendum to Isaac Alfasi's Halakhot.
All four of these sources, together with many Cairo Geniza fragments, have been published online by Bar Ilan University in the form of a searchable database.
Editions
Two critical editions have been published. The first was that of Moses Samuel Zuckermandl in 1882, which relied heavily on the Erfurt manuscript of the Tosefta. Zuckermandl's work has been characterized as "a great step forward" for its time. This edition was reprinted in 1970 by Rabbi Saul Lieberman, with additional notes and corrections.
In 1955, Saul Lieberman first began publishing his monumental Tosefta ki-Feshutah. Between 1955 and 1973, ten volumes of the new edition were published, representing the text and the commentaries on the entire orders of Zera'im, Mo'ed and Nashim. In 1988, three volumes were published posthumously on the order of Nezikin, including tractates Bava Kama, Bava Metzia, and Bava Batra. Lieberman's work has been called the "pinnacle of modern Tosefta studies."