Retaining Information and Knowledge in Human Memory in Mishnahic and Talmudic Periods: Historical, Cultural, and Practical Aspects

The current study explores Mishnahic and Talmudic literature as its basis for a discussion of the meaning of memory, its significance, and ways of maintaining it among individuals. Until the redaction of the Mishna and revoking the religious prohibition against writing down oral traditions, knowledg...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Shemesh, Avraham Ofir 1966- (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publié: Equinox Publ. 2021
Dans: Religious studies and theology
Année: 2021, Volume: 40, Numéro: 2, Pages: 174-202
Sujets non-standardisés:B Judah the Prince
B Roman-Byzantine
B Mishnah
B Memory
B humoralism
B tabula rasa
B Oral Torah
B MEMORY loss
B Greco-Roman
B Talmud
B oral traditions
B torah she-be’al peh
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Description
Résumé:The current study explores Mishnahic and Talmudic literature as its basis for a discussion of the meaning of memory, its significance, and ways of maintaining it among individuals. Until the redaction of the Mishna and revoking the religious prohibition against writing down oral traditions, knowledge relied mainly on human memory and it was preserved among select scholars or by elders with good memory. In Mishnahic and Talmudic periods the need to preserve the considerable information that had accumulated in the batei midrash increased, as did the concern that the Torah would be forgotten due to historical circumstances that had a destructive effect on the scholars in batei midrash. The response to these concerns required embracing and developing methods, practices, and food recipes to help increase memory and prevent or slow down memory loss. Among the methods for maintaining memory were: Frequent revision and reviewing of study material; choosing an adequate learning environment and atmosphere; remembering ideas by associative techniques (to colours, daily activities); use of mnemonics (acronyms, signs, associations, fingers and numbers), and eating food or smelling aromatic substances for improving memory.
ISSN:1747-5414
Contient:Enthalten in: Religious studies and theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/rst.20103