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About This Text
Author: Achai Gaon
Composed: Talmudic Israel, c.705 – c.745 CE
Sheiltot d’Rav Achai Gaon (“Questions of Rabbi Achai Gaon”) is an Aramaic collection of legal sermons and the first extant rabbinic work written after the Talmud’s completion. Unique in its structure, it is not arranged by subject matter or according to the Talmud, but rather according to the order of the Torah. Each sheilta (question) generally follows the same form, opening with a general introduction to a commandment, followed by a legal question related to the commandment, followed by a narrative or ethical section, and ending with an answer to the legal question. The work was considered a critical and highly authoritative work for subsequent legal authorities.