Type: Navigational Aid

Mesoret Ha-Sha"S

Terminology

"Sha"S is a Hebrew acronym for the expression "Shishah Sedarim" (=Six orders), denoting the six main areas into which the Mishnah and Talmuds are divided. It thus became a synonym for Talmud, particularly at times when the Talmud was banned by Christian censors. The original title of this work was in fact "Mesoret ha-Talmud."

"Mesoret" means "tradition," but it also alludes to the "Masora," the scholarly discipline that concerned itself with the precise transmission of each word and letter of the Bible.

Literally translated, the title can thus be rendered "The Tradition of the Six Orders [of the Talmud]."

Dates

1546-51

Author

Rabbi Joshua Boaz Mevorakh was a Spanish (Sepharadi) exile living in Italy.

Place

Venice, Italy.

Description

Like the other cross-references and indices that enhance the printed Talmud page, this section originally appeared in the third Venice printing of the Talmud (published by Marco Justiniani).

It consists of cross-references to other passages in the Talmud where the same quote appears.

Depending on how much space is available on the page, the link from the Talmud text can be designated by an asterisk (*) that points to a reference in the nearby margin; or by a Hebrew letter pointing to a list of references that are assembled together in the margin or at the bottom of the page.

In later printings of the Talmud, additional references (and other notes) were added to the "Mesoret Ha-Sha"S," most of them by Rabbi Isaiah Berlin. These are enclosed in square brackets.