Discovering the Talmud and Mishnah: When Traditions Raised New Questions

As we built deeper relationships at the synagogue, we began asking more questions. Now that we had friends we trusted, we felt comfortable asking things like, “How did you come to that conclusion?” or “Where do you go to do your research?”

The answers varied. Some pointed us straight to the Bible. Others mentioned YouTube channels, podcasts, websites, or popular teachers. Some introduced us to Jewish writings I had never heard of—books like the Talmud, the Mishnah, and even distinctions between the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds.

I was intrigued, but also overwhelmed.

I began researching. I wanted to understand where these traditions had come from. Many practices we observed during services, I discovered, weren’t directly in the Bible, but were rooted in oral traditions preserved in those extra writings.

At first, I struggled. I wrestled with the idea that people were following traditions found outside of Scripture. It challenged everything I had grown up believing.

Sometimes, delving into the roots of our faith raises more questions than answers—but growth begins with the willingness to wrestle.

Have you ever discovered traditions in your faith that made you pause? How did you sort through what was biblical and what was added?

iamgesher

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