What is "amoraim"

1. n. one of a group of rabbis (active AD 250-500) who discussed the Mishnaic law in the law schools of Palestine and Mesopotamia where they explained and applied earlier teachings and whose discussions are recorded in the Talmud; they emphasized the study of Torah and the importance of personal action and the fulfillment of the commandments

2. [also: amoraim (pl)]

See amora

Amoraim ( Aramaic: plural אםמוראי , singular Amora אמורא ; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen"), refers to the Jewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 CE, who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the Oral Torah. They were concentrated in Babylonia and the Land of Israel. Their legal discussions and debates were eventually codified in the Gemara. The Amoraim followed the Tannaim in the sequence of ancient Jewish scholars. The Tannaim were direct transmitters of uncodified oral tradition; the Amoraim expounded upon and clarified the oral law after its initial codification.