How Jews Record Their Laws

Since ancient times, rabbis and laypeople have sent letters to distinguished sages to ask for clarification about matters of Jewish law, and have received answers. These responsa—known in Hebrew as sh’eilot u-t’shuvot—are the primary texts of halakhah, and have survived since at least the 9th century. In addition, there are the codes: digests and summaries of vast and unwieldy talmudic debates, later commentaries, and responsa. These attempts to fix or finalize Jewish law fail even as they succeed, attracting new commentaries and spawning further debate, until eventually they become the source material for new generations of codifiers.