On the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Avodah Zarah
A person should always divide his years into thirds: one third for the Bible, one third for the Mishnah, and one third for Talmud. Does a person know how long he will live? When we said this, rather, we were referring to days. [b. Avodah Zarah 19b]
According to Rashi, this means two days for the Bible, two days for the Mishnah, and two days for the Talmud. He explained in this far-fetched manner because of the word “days.” However, the difficulty that one does not know how long he will live still remains. Consequently, it stands to reason that “days” means “daily.” It was therefore instituted that [every day] one should recite the verses of the daily offering [Numbers 28:1–8], the chapter of the Mishnah that deals with the location of the sacrifices in the Temple [m. Zevaḥim, chapter 5], and the baraita of R. Ishmael.1
Rabbenu Tam maintains that, since we focus our attention on the Babylonian Talmud, that is enough for us, for it provides a blend of the Bible, Mishnah, and Talmud, as it is stated in tractate Sanhedrin [24a] that the name Babylonia [Bavel] alludes to the fact that it incorporates a blend [balulah] of the Bible, a blend of the Mishnah, and a blend of the Talmud.
Notes
[The baraita of R. Ishmael, preserved at the beginning of the Sifra, contains the principles for interpreting the Torah. The three passages mentioned here, which are part of the daily morning prayer service, correspond to the study of Bible, Mishnah, and Talmud, respectively.—Trans.]
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.
