Tosefta

Tosefta (tōsĕf`tə), plural Toseftoth (–tōth) [Aramaic,=additional], collection of ancient Jewish teachings supplementing the Mishna or Oral Law and closely allied to it in organization. Like the Mishna, it was compiled by the Tannaim. Many of its teachings, called Baraitot, do not appear in the Mishna; others are merely elucidations or alternative versions of Mishnaic material. It contains a larger percentage of aggadic material than does the Mishna. The Tosefta is an independent work and has been made the subject of commentaries.

Bibliography

See H. L. Strack, Introduction to Talmud and Midrash (1931, repr. 1969); S. Lieberman, Tosefta Kifshuta (1955).

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Tosefta

Supplements to the Mishna compiled c. AD 300. The Tosefta consists of laws attributed to the authorities named in the Mishna and generally follows the topical program and organization of the Mishna. Both works were the effort of Jewish scholars, working mostly in Palestine, who gathered, evaluated, and correlated the most important traditions from a vast and heterogeneous mass of material that had developed since the time of Ezra (c. 450 BC). The Tosefta may have been meant to complement the Mishna by preserving material that appeared marginal or contradictory.