Until the 2nd century C.E., the Oral Torah was passed down in verbal form alone. In the years following the destruction of the Second Temple the fear arose that it would be forgotten. To address this fear, the sages, led by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (The Prince), wrote the Oral Torah down in a series of books called the Mishnah. The Mishnah, completed in 188 C.E. was basically an outline and did not include any in-depth analysis or explanation. Consequently, about three hundred years later, the Gemara was composed by other sages, led by Rav Ashi and Ravina. The Gemara contains commentary on the Mishnah. Together the complete collection of Mishnah and Gemara writings make up the Talmud.

There are two versions of the Talmud: Jerusalem and Babylonian. The Babylonian Talmud is the more comprehensive, and is the one usually meant when people refer to ‘the Talmud’. Naturally there are also commentaries on the Talmud by famous scholars including Rashi and Maimonides (the Rambam).