Between Mishnah and Baraita: Baraita Collections and the Development of Yerushalmi Sugyot

Abstract

This article undertakes a reassessment of the use of baraitot in the Talmud Yerushalmi, focusing on the significance of baraita collections as the structural underpinning for talmudic discussions, with a specific examination of Tractate Demai. Prevailing scholarship posits that the Yerushalmi predominantly relies on baraita collections, particularly the Tosefta, as the foundational layer for interpreting the Mishnah. However, a meticulous analysis of Yerushalmi sugyot, considering both their layered textual composition and the diverse employment of baraitot, reveals a more nuanced perspective.

The study delves into four prominent sugyot in Demai where a compilation of baraitot is extensively employed, specifically in instances where baraita sequences are cited and systematically discussed. These instances suggest that such usage is characteristic of comparatively later strata in the Talmud. Moreover, in some cases the earlier amoraic layer, engaged in Mishnah interpretation, appears encircled by subsequent strata which is in fact a commentary to parallel baraita sequences. According to this image, it is early amoraic Mishnah exegesis that forms the backbone of Yerushalmi sugyot, to which baraita materials were added with some later interpretation, rather than the other way around. Thus, this article calls for a reconsideration of the development of Yerushalmi sugyot and of the role of baraita materials within it. It suggests that the formal recognition of this corpus as an authoritative text deserving independent, systematic interpretation alongside the Mishnah evolved gradually during the Amoraic period.