Gemara

American  

[guh-mahr-uh, guh-mah-rah, guh-maw-ruh] / gəˈmɑr ə, gə mɑˈrɑ, gəˈmɔ rə /

noun

1. the section of the Talmud consisting essentially of commentary on the Mishnah.

2. the Talmud.

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Gemara British  

/ ɡɛˈmɔrə, ɡɛmaˈra /

noun

1. Judaism the main body of the Talmud, consisting of a record of ancient rabbinical debates about the interpretation of the Mishna and constituting the primary source of Jewish religious law See also Talmud

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Other Word Forms

• Gemaric adjective
• Gemarist noun

Etymology

Origin of Gemara

C17: from Aramaic gemārā completion, from gemār to complete

Example Sentences

The Gemara The Gemara, which in Aramaic means "to study and to know" is a collection of scholarly discussions on Jewish law dating from around 200 to 500AD.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2013

Rashi Students generally look at this section after reading a few lines of the Mishnah and Gemara.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2013

The Gemara is written in Aramaic, and like the Mishnah lacks punctuation.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2013

The Mishnah and Gemara combined constitute the Talmud as it is strictly understood.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2013

God’s study of, ib.; curious, from its antiquity, 116; specimens of, from the Mishnic titles, 116-118; and from the Gemara, 119.

From Curiosities of Literature, Vol. 3 by Disraeli, Isaac