Baraita (ברייתא, bryyt'; Aramaic, “outside”). In rabbinic literature, the term baraita refers to a teaching or saying attributed to the Tannaim but not found in the Mishnah. The baraitoth are believed to have their origins in the first to third centuries ad. The earliest use of the term baraita was for sayings outside the Mishnaic academies; the term later came to refer to sayings attributed to many of the same sages whose words are collected in the Mishnah.

A baraita is often a short, pithy summary of a more complex idea, abbreviated for ease of transmission. In a larger work, the presence of a baraita is often signaled by a phrase such as “he taught,” “as it is taught,” and “our sages taught.” The largest collection of baraitoth is found in the Tosefta, where they are arranged to supplement the Mishnah (Eisenberg, JPS Guide, 501). Other baraitoth derive from the collections of Midrash associated with the Tannaim, such as the Mekhilta, Sifra, or Sifre. Many baraitoth are quoted and discussed in the Talmud (Katz and Schwartz, Swimming, 330).