Knowing what the Torah is can someone explain what the Talmud is and its purpose?

The Talmud is referred to as an ocean because of its vast content. Judaism is based on law. The torah (Five Books of Moses) contains the basic laws given by God to Moses. Since these were basic laws they were not intended to cover all aspects of life. The Rabbis using 13 principle of study that were applied to the Torah text were able to come up with a compendium of laws that were a great deal more comprehensive. This vast work is called the Talmud. You would be best to consult the Jewish Encyclopedia for more detailed information.  

The Torah is the written law, the Jewish Bible, which was dictated to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and is believed to be the actual word of G-d.  In addition to the words that G-d wanted Moses to write down, G-d also explained details to Moses about what the words in the Torah meant.  For example, the Torah says that the Jewish people should observe the Sabbath and keepit Holy.  But, what does this mean?  G-d explained to Moses the answers to questions like this.  Then Moses was instructed to pass this information along to the Elders (the wise men in the Jewish community).   Then, these men went on to teach the children and the Jewish people.  This oral tradition is was passed on, generation to generation.  Then Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi decided that these stories and explanations really needed to be written down, so that they would not be altered and so they would be remembered.  The Oral Law was finally recorded in what is called the Mishna.  Rabbis from everywhere would study the Mishna, and these Rabbis would have very high-level discussions.  The discussions were recorded and compiled in what is known today as the Talmud.  Today, Jews around the world study the Talmud and hold the laws in the Talmud (the Oral Law) as just as important as the Torah itself.  It says in the Torah that the Oral Law should be taken as seriously as the Torah itself.  I have just given you the most simple explanation of what the Talmud is and where it came from.  Here is a more detailed

The torah contains the written law, while the Talmud is the oral law. According to Orthodox Jewish belief, the Oral law was passed down from Moses at Sinai, and then complied in the mishna. The Gemara involved the Rabbis arguing in order to understand the Mishna. The talmud is composed of these two works, and this is the basis of laws that we follow today.

When Mosses ascended Mt. Sinai he was given 2 Torah's the written and Oral.  The Written is what is comonly refereed to as Torah,  and the oral which explained the written and was foridden to be written down but carried equal weight as the written.  However as time passed explanations were forgotten and questions were posed to the Rabbi's decided it was better to violate the prohibition of writing it down than to forget it.  This is referedto as the Mishna and was broken in to 6 main categories and covered virtually every aspect of Jewish Life.  As time whent on the Mishna was starting to become a bit confusing and therefore questions arose and the great Rabbi's debated the questions and proved their opinions through incredibly complex logic this is the Talmud questions and answers on the Mishna

from webster's dictionary 1828 "Talmud TAL'MUD, n. The body of the Hebrew laws, traditions and explanations; or the book that contains them. The Talmud contains the laws, and a compilation of expositions of duties imposed on the people, either in Scripture, by tradition, or by authority of their doctors, or by custom. It consists of two parts, the Mischna, and the Gemara; the former being the written law, the latter a collection of traditions and comments of Jewish doctors." -(Webster's 1828) Hope this helps, Tit 2:13

Please explain the Biblical definition of the word –yud hay yud  hvh . Does it have special etymological translations? I cannot find that word in my Hebrew-English dictionary.

The English translations of Genesis 1 translate it as ‘let there be.’ I understand there is no such word as ‘let there be’ in Hebrew. How should that word be translated? Please explain and thank you so much.

Solomon Huriash    landpublishing@hotmail.com

10 Genealogical lists have also caused some confusion. For example, Ezra lists 23 names in his priestly genealogy at 1 Chronicles 5:29-40 (6:3-14) but lists only 16 names for the same period when giving his own genealogy at Ezra 7:1-5. This is, not a discrepancy, but a simple condensation. Additionally, according to a writer’s intention in recording an event, he highlighted, minimized, included, or omitted details that another Bible writer expressed differently in recording the same event. Such are not contradictions but, rather, are differing accounts reflecting the writers’ point of view and intended audience.
11 Often, apparent inconsistencies can be resolved if we just look at the context. For example, “Where did Cain get his wife?” is a question often heard, highlighting the belief that this exposes a discrepancy in the Biblical account. The supposition is that Adam and Eve had only two sons, Cain and Abel. The difficulty is easily resolved if one reads on. Genesis 5:4 says: “After the birth of Seth, Adam lived 800 years and begot sons and daughters.” So Cain married one of his sisters or perhaps a niece, which would have been in full harmony with God’s original intention for the expansion of the human race.—Genesis 1:28.
12 There are obviously many details of human history not recorded as part of the Divine Record. But every necessary detail, both for those who first read it and for us today, has been included without making it cumbersome and impossible to read.
To Be Understood Only by
Scholars?
13 Have you ever asked: “Why are there so many conflicting interpretations of the Bible?” After hearing religious authorities contradict one another, some sincere people become confused and discouraged. The conclusion that many reach is that the Bible is unclear and contradictory. As a result, many reject the Bible outright, believing that it is too difficult to read and understand. Others, when confronted with this vast array of religious interpretation, are reluctant to make a serious investigation of the Scriptures. Some say: “Learned men have studied for years in religious seminaries. How could I have any basis for questioning what they teach?” But is this how God views matters?
14 When God gave the Law to the nation of Israel, he did not indicate that he was giving them a system of worship that they could not understand, one that would have to be left in the hands of theological sages or “scholars.” Through Moses at Deuteronomy 30:11, 14, God declared: “Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you, nor is it beyond reach. No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.” All the nation, not just the leaders, were told: “Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.” (Deuteronomy 6:6, 7) God’s commandments, all committed to writing, were clear enough for the entire nation, both parents and children, to follow.
15 As far back as Isaiah’s day, religious leaders incurred God’s condemnation by taking it upon themselves to add to and interpret God’s laws. The prophet Isaiah wrote: “That people has approached Me with its mouth and honored Me with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Me, and its worship of Me has been a commandment of men, learned by rote.” (Isaiah 29:13) Their worship had become a commandment of men, not of God. (Deuteronomy 4:2) It was these ‘commandments of men,’ their own interpretations and explanations, that were contradictory. God’s words were not. The same is true today.
Any Biblical Basis for the Oral
Torah?
16 Some believe that Moses received an “Oral Torah” in addition to the “Written Torah.” According to this belief, God directed that certain commands not be written down but rather be passed on by word of mouth from generation to generation, thus being preserved only by oral tradition. (See box, page 10.) However, the Bible account clearly shows that Moses was never commanded to transmit an oral law. Exodus 24:3, 4 tells us: “Moses went and repeated to the people all the commands of the LORD and all the rules; and all the people answered with one voice, saying, ‘All the things that the LORD has commanded we will do!’” Moses then “wrote down all the commands of the LORD.” Further, at Exodus 34:27 we are told: “And the LORD said to Moses: Write down these commandments, for in accordance with these commandments I make a covenant with you and with Israel.” An unwritten oral law had no place in the covenant that God made with Israel. (See box, page 8.) Nowhere in the Bible is there any mention of the existence of an oral law. More important, its teachings contradict the Scriptures, adding to the misimpression that the Bible is self-contradictory. (See box, page 22.) But it is man, and not God, who is responsible for this confusion.—Isaiah 29:13. (See boxes, pages 20-1.)
17 In contrast with the contradictory interpretations of men, the Bible itself is clear and trustworthy. God has provided us with ample proof within his Word that the peaceful world envisioned at Isaiah 2:2-4 is not just a dream but an impending reality. None other than God himself, the God of prophecy, the God of the Bible, will bring it about.