Mishnah

The Mishnah (Hebrew משנה, "repetition") is a major source of rabbinic Judaism's religious texts. It is the first recording of the oral law of the Jewish people, as championed by the Pharisees and is considered the first work of Rabbinic Judaism. The Mishnah was redacted around the year 200 CE by Judah haNasi (Judah the Prince). He is usually simply referred to as 'Rabbi'. Nearly all of the Mishnah is written in Hebrew, except a few verses, which are written in Aramaic. Rabbinic commentaries on the Mishnah over the next three centuries were recorded mostly in Aramaic and were redacted as the Gemara. The Mishnah and the Gemara together form the Talmud.

Commentaries

• In 1168, Maimonides was probably the first to author a comprehensive commentary on the Mishnah. It was written in Arabic and was one of the first commentaries of its kind. In it, "Rambam" condenses the associated Talmudical debates, and offers his conclusion in a number of undecided issues. Of particular significance are the various introductory sections - as well as the introduction to the work itself http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/mahshevt/hakdama/tohen-m-2.htm - these are widely quoted in other works on the Mishna, and on the Oral law in general. Perhaps the most famous is his introduction to the tenth chapter of tractate Sanhedrin http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/mahshevt/rambam/hakdamat-2.htm where he enumerates the thirteen fundamental beliefs of Judaism.
• Rabbi Samson of Sens (France) was, apart from Maimonides, one of the few rabbis of the early medieval era to compose a Mishnah commentary. It is printed in many editions of the Mishnah.
• Rabbi Obadiah ben Abraham of Bertinoro (15th century) wrote one of the most popular Mishnah commentaries. He draws on Maimonides' work but also offers Talmudical material (in effect a summary of the Talmudic discussion). In addition to its role as a commentary on the Mishna, this work is often referenced by students of Talmud as a review-text, and is often referred to as "the Bartanura".
• After the Maharal of Prague had initiated organised Mishnah study (Chevrath ha-Mishnayoth), his pupil Yomtov Lipman Heller wrote a commentary which resembles that of the Tosafists on the Talmud, and is therefore called Tosafoth Yom Tov. He offers brief insights into the Mishnah and Bertinoro. In many compact Mishnah printings, a condensed version of his commentary, titled Ikar Tosafoth Yom Tov, is featured.
• Other Acharonim who have written Mishnah commentaries:
• Rabbi Solomon Luria (the Maharshal)
• The Vilna Gaon (Shenoth Eliyahu)
• Rabbi Akiva Eiger
• A prominent commentary from the 19th century is Tifereth Yisrael by Rabbi Yisrael Lipschutz. It is subdivided into two parts, one more general and the other more analytical, titled Yachin and Boaz respectively (after two large pillars in the Temple in Jerusalem). Lipschutz has not been completely without controversy, partially because he refers on occasion to scientific findings.
• The commentary by Rabbi Pinhas Kehati, which is written in Modern Israeli Hebrew and based on classical and contemporary works, has become popular in the late Twentieth Century. The commentary is designed to make the Mishnah widely accessible to both experienced and inexperienced learners and is popularly referred to as "The Kehati". Each tractate is introduced with an overview of its contents, including historical and legal background material, and each mishnah is prefaced by a thematic introduction.