What is the Difference between the Mishnah and the Gemara?
The Mishnah and Gemara are the two components of the Talmud, a major text of Rabbinic Judaism, second only to the Hebrew Bible. The Mishnah was written around 200 CE and based on the earlier Oral Law, while the Gemara was completed around 500 CE and consists of commentary and elaboration on the Mishnah. Sometimes, the word Talmud is used to refer to the Gemara alone, and Shas is used to refer either to the Mishnah alone or to the Mishnah and Gemara together.
