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What are some good resources for deciphering a Tosfos comment that I can't figure out?

Here is what I am looking for in a resource:

  • When Tosfos brings another gemoro this resource should provide an explanation of it without me having to look it up.

  • Unlike Artscroll, it shouldn't be just a summary of the Tosfos, but a full explanation of it.

  • And the most important it should be written by someone who really understands tosfos and gets it right.

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    Not sure if this is helpful, but I have found that certain Tosafist pieces are difficult if you haven't learned, well, basically all of Talmud Bavli.
    – Baby Seal
    Jun 13, 2014 at 17:14
  • @BabySeal thank you. That is what I am trying to get at here and finding it very difficult and that is what to do about it. Not many have learned all shas and that is why we have modern seforim today to help.
    – preferred
    Jun 13, 2014 at 17:15
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    @Baby Seal this question is not about how to learn tosfos but how to get help to learn tosfos.
    – preferred
    Jun 13, 2014 at 17:28
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    Try שערי תוספות....found it here through Google....it's more or less exactly what you're describing, in Hebrew
    – MTL
    Jun 13, 2014 at 17:37
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    Not sure if this does exactly what you want, but could be useful: tosfos.com
    – Shmuel
    Jun 13, 2014 at 21:34

9 Answers 9

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Try שערי תוספות....(found it here through Google, but most well-stocked seforim stores should carry it)....it's more or less exactly what you're describing; I've used it and it's very good [in Hebrew though].

You can also try tosfosinenglish.com and dafyomi.co.il's Point-by-point summary of Tosfos*. (I haven't used them, but my friends have; they look good)

@Shmuel pointed out another resource: tosfos.com; they look pretty good, but their selection appears to be more limited than the other sites mentioned here.

Good luck and much hatzlacha in your learning!


*They don't have a home page for Tosfos; you need to find the mesechta you need and click on Tosfos on the mesechta page.

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תוספות הרא״ש often (but certainly not always!) says the same thing as 'our' תוספות but wordier. This can help.

To your criteria:

  • When Tosfos brings another gemoro this resource should provide an explanation of it without me having to look it up. I don't think it meets this criterion; sorry. But I may be misremembering.
  • Unlike Artscroll, it shouldn't be just a summary of the Tosfos, but a full explanation of it. Yes, precisely: it is a more fully-worded of תוספות.
  • And the most important it should be written by someone who really understands tosfos and gets it right. Well, yeah: although, of course, it doesn't refer to 'our' תוספות, it would doubtless understand it if it had a copy. :-)
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    Ah! Meant to put תוספות הרא״ש in my own answer...oh well. They are very useful, along with רבינו פרץ and רי"ד
    – MTL
    Jun 24, 2014 at 4:49
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An Artscroll Tosafos series now exists. Two volumes have been published to date, one on all of Makkos, the other on the first half of Berachos. It is quite comprehensive.

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  • Welcome to MiYodeya and thanks for this first question. Can I recommend you take the tour to get a sense of how the site works? Great to have you learn with us!
    – mbloch
    Aug 23, 2019 at 4:21
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ספר מי מנוחות is another resource though they don't cover the entire Shas.

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I've just started writing such an English work on Tosfos. My first Sefer is on Sukka 2a-11a available on tosfos.ecwid.com for only $2.49. If I have some success I'll continue. I currently have the rest of the first Perek and Elu Metzios almost ready to come out, but needs to be edited. I write the Gemara in regular font and Tosfos in bold so one can read the Gemara straight and skip over Tosfos to get the flow of the Gemara and go back and learn Tosfos in its place.

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The new עוז והדר גמרא (red cover) now have an in-built תוס' הרא''ש and also a new feature 'מבואות התוס right at the back which explains the גמרא elsewhere quoted by תוס and explains it clearly and briefly.

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  • The Vilna (purple cover "Expanded Edition/מהדורה מורחבת" [though I'm not sure if it's in the regular one also]) gemara also has תוספות הרא"ש in the back also (along with חי' רמב"ן)
    – MTL
    Jul 24, 2015 at 13:28
  • Oz vehadar Mesivtah editions have biurei Tosafos which is basically what the OP wants.
    – robev
    Sep 26, 2017 at 13:04
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The website tosfosshabbos.com seems to be one of the most complete in covering all of the tosfos on the daf for the entire masechta for Gittin, Shabbos, Beitzah etc---- yaagdil torah veyadir

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  • Welcome to Mi Yodeya Yaakov! Thanks for the answer.
    – mevaqesh
    Sep 26, 2017 at 0:40
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The מתיבתא Gemara from עוז והדר is an excellent aid for explanation on the Gemara as well as Rashi and Tosafos.

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  • Welcome to Mi Yodeya! Thanks for the answer!
    – mevaqesh
    Sep 26, 2017 at 4:16
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dafyomi.co.il (ie Kollel Iyun Hadaf) fits all 3 of the criteria you list. They provide a clear point-by-point summary for every Tosfos in the Talmud Bavli (just click on a Mesechta and select the Tosfot option).

It's a free and wonderful resource.

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