Faith
What Is the Difference Between the Mishnah and the Gemara?
Question
What, in essence, is the difference between studying Mishnah and studying Gemara?
And which should be given greater priority and emphasis?
Thank you :)
Answer
Hello and blessings,
The Mishnah consists of brief rulings of halacha, while the Gemara examines the matter in depth: why the Mishnah says this, and where its source is in the Written Torah. Likewise, the Gemara sometimes brings contradictions in the Mishnah, sometimes explicitly and sometimes through an objection to a less explicit contradiction, and the answers of the Gemara lead to new halachic developments through understanding the depth of the matter and resolving the contradictions.
The Gemara includes everything, and therefore it is preferable. Nevertheless, one should also set aside a little time for studying Mishnah, in which there are very great merits for the soul.
Success,
Binyamin Shmueli
