Israel 2006 The Six Orders of the Mishnah

 

The word "Mishnah" is derived from the root shin-nun-heh, which means "study." The word mishnah has two meanings in the Rabbinic literature: one, as a manner of deducing everything that is taught orally, complementing the Written Law; and the other, a book, that is second only to the written Torah. The six Orders of the Mishnah are the laws of the Oral Law that were collected by subject and redacted in the Land of Israel in the third century CE by R. Judah ha-Nasi (the Patriarch).

The need to expound the halakhot by subject arose in the late Second Temple period. The number of laws that were not directly connected to the verses of the Torah increased, and they could not be deduced by the conventional method of textual exegesis. The Rabbis who lived during the time from the Second Temple period until the time of R. Judah ha-Nasi and who employed this methodology were called "Tannaim (the Aramaic tana = the Hebrew shin-nun-heh - study). As time passed, the first collections of mishnayot, known as "early mishnayot," were formulated and redacted; these would form the basis for the Mishnah of R. Judah ha-Nasi.

The Mishnah is divided into six Orders, each of which relates to a different halakhic realm:

 

1. The Order of Zeraim ("Seeds") is concerned with the commandments observed only in the Land of Israel and with everyday ritual commandments.

2. The Order of Moed ("Appointed Time") contains Sabbath and holiday laws.

3. The Order of Nashim ("Women") relates to the relations between a man and his wife, from the creation of the relationship to the sundering of the marriage.

4. The Order of Nezikin ("Damages") includes the laws governing interpersonal relations, property laws, and judicial procedure.

5. The Order of Kodashim ("Sacred Things") relates to the Temple service and the laws of sacrifices.

6. The Order of Tohorot ("Pure Things") contains the laws of ritual purity.

 

Each Order is divided into tractates, each tractate into chapters, and each chapters, into mishnayot. 

The most complete manuscripts of the Mishnah are MS. Kaufmann, from the eleventh or twelfth centuries, and MS. Parma, from the eleventh century. The Mishnah was first printed in Naples in 1492. 

The first commentaries on the Mishnah were written during the Geonic period (600-1040 CE). The best-known among the medieval commentaries are those by Rashi, Maimonides, and R. Obadiah of Bertinoro.

 

 

The Stamps ( 27 Sep 2005 )

Order of Zeraim - the stamp depicts a sack of grain in a field and sheaves.

Order of Nashim - the stamp portrays an unadorned golden engagement ring and an additional ring, on the background of a ketubah (marriage contract).

Order of Moed - the stamp shows the Zodiac, a wine goblet for the Festival Kiddush, and matzah (unleavened bread).

 

The Stamps ( 12 Sep 2006 ) 

Order of Nezikin - the stamp presents the archetypes of damage: an ox and fire. The scales represent the court, that judges between the plaintiff and the defendant.

Order of Kodashim - the stamp shows a dove on the background of an ancient wall. It depicts the bird burnt-offering, as written in Leviticus 1:14: "If his offering to the Lord is a burnt-offering of birds, he shall choose his offering from turtledoves or pigeons." The illustration of the altar on the border is based on a photograph courtesy of the Temple Institute, Jerusalem.

Order of Tohorot - the stamp depicts a vessel for the washing of the hands and water, that are the two elements required for cleansing hands that were defiled. A water pitcher is seen on the border.