Next to the Bible, the Talmud (which means "study") is the most authoritative source of Jewish law, culture, and history. Technically, the Talmud is made up of two parts: the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is a compilation of Jewish laws. The Gemara is divided into two parts: the Halkakhah and the Aggadah. The Halkakhah consists of commentary on the Mishnah while the Aggadah is made up of texts on a variety of subjects including history, folklore, and science. Despite this technical division between the two parts of the Talmud, the terms Gemara and Talmud are typically used interchangeably. Consequently, when Jews refer to the Talmud they are usually only referring to the Gemara portion.

There are two separate compilations of the Gemara or Talmud: the Jerusalem (or Palestinian) Talmud (completed in c.425 CE) and the Babylonian Talmud (completed in c.500 CE). The Babylonian Talmud, which is three times the length of the Jerusalem Talmud, is generally considered to be the more authoritative one. While both Talmudim are written primarily in Aramaic, direct quotations from the Mishnah are written in Hebrew.

Since their compilation, the study of the respective Talmuds has played an important role in the lives of observant Jews. During the Middle Ages, Jewish schools dedicated to the study of the Talmud, known as Yeshivot, opened throughout the diaspora. Today, religious Jews around the world continue to read and interpret the Talmud at Yeshivot around the world.

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