Hebrew term for
"Supplement."
The name is really a misnomer for
this collection of rabbinic tradition that was influenced by
the Mishna
but presents a far more extensive
selection of sayings, several of which contradict the
opinions of the Mishna published by Judah ha
Nasi. The Tosefta was
published near the beginning of the 3rd c. CE.
It represents
a version of the tannaitic tradition
taught at the school of Tiberias
that included many bits of early
rabbinic lore that were not accepted in the Academy's
official text of the Mishna. The author was probably cHiyya
bar Abba, a Babylonian
Jew who after studying in the Academy at Sepphoris
became head of the rabbinic school at Tiberias.
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