Tosafot

Tosafot, also Tosafot (Heb. additions, additions) are early medieval collections of commentaries on the Talmud, which are ranked in order of the Talmudic treatises and were originally designed as additions to comments by Rashi, not running commentary, but at length ( st) Explanation single digits.

The starting point of the Tosafot is not generally the Talmud itself, but the Talmud comments from the rabbinic literature, especially of Rashi. From humble beginnings to a movement to learn the Torah, which is initially in Germany and France ( including Provence ), then spread to times of Nahmanides in Spain developed. The leading editor of the Tosafot Rabbeinu Tam was to exact time and place of the compilation of the Tosafot, its subspecies and their historical and literary development exist but there are still many unresolved issues.

The Tosafot were recorded as Schitot ( "systems" ), ie Interpretations of halachic discussions, which were put together by the students of the yeshivot under the supervision of their teachers, corrected and revised. Although about one hundred Tosafists are known by name, but it is in most cases impossible to distinguish individual stylistic traits.

Technology and style of the Tosafot is not limited to the Talmud, there are also a variety of Tosafot literature on the Pentateuch. Here is the starting point Rashi's commentary, with a distinction between a German and a French style. The German style is seen, generally, by the frequent use of gematria.

To date, the Tosafot are an inseparable part of the Talmud studies, particularly in the Gemara. The study of a " page Gemara " refers to the text itself, the so-called Perusch ( "Declaration ", that comment of Rashi ) and finally the Tosafot.

Early in the Tosafot were also criticized; in the 14th century, there were scholars who thus saw employment as garbled casuistry and waste of time. This criticism was reinforced ( " disagreement ", " conflict " ) further developed in later centuries, when the casuistic discussion of methods and pilpul Chillukim.

Comes also from the Jewish literature ( centuries old ) Tosefta.

Expenditure

• A. Schreiber et al ( eds.), Tosafoth Chachmei Anglia, Jerusalem 1968 ff