Editing Tosefta (section)

== Background ==
Jewish teachings of the [[Tannaim|Tannaitic period]] were characteristically transmitted orally, and consisted of short sayings presented with or without attribution, which were memorized through repetition (''Shanah'' in Hebrew)<ref name=":6">{{Citation |last=Mandel |first=Paul |title=The Tosefta |date=2006 |work=The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 4: The Late Roman-Rabbinic Period |volume=4 |pages=316 |editor-last=Katz |editor-first=Steven T. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-judaism/tosefta/01AD3FCDB5E8ADA0D97EC904512BD830 |access-date=2025-02-04 |series=The Cambridge History of Judaism |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-77248-8}}</ref> and recited in halls of study.<ref name=":6" /> These teachings were primarily concerned with laws and customs (Halacha), though they also included non-legal traditions (Aggada), as well as supplementary material (Tosefta) which was appended later to traditions which warranted clarification or addition of legal material.<ref name=":6" /> The [[Halakha|Halacha]], [[Aggadah|Aggada]], and Tosefta collectively served as the foundation of the [[Oral Torah]] and the primary focus of study for the sages during the first two centuries CE.<ref>{{Citation |last=Mandel |first=Paul |title=The Tosefta |date=2006 |work=The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 4: The Late Roman-Rabbinic Period |volume=4 |pages=316–317 |editor-last=Katz |editor-first=Steven T. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-judaism/tosefta/01AD3FCDB5E8ADA0D97EC904512BD830 |access-date=2025-02-04 |series=The Cambridge History of Judaism |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-77248-8}}</ref> The oral traditions were no doubt transmitted as different collections by different scholars, though the [[Babylonian Talmud]] refers to a fixed work known as Tosefta, which was an integral part of a scholar's education.<ref name=":7">{{Citation |last=Mandel |first=Paul |title=The Tosefta |date=2006 |work=The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 4: The Late Roman-Rabbinic Period |volume=4 |pages=317 |editor-last=Katz |editor-first=Steven T. |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/cambridge-history-of-judaism/tosefta/01AD3FCDB5E8ADA0D97EC904512BD830 |access-date=2025-02-04 |series=The Cambridge History of Judaism |place=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-77248-8}}</ref> [[Geonim|Geonic sources]] attest to the existence of a single work named Tosefta which is identical to the Tosefta known today.<ref name=":7" />