Talmud
The Talmud is a basis of Jewish Law. The Talmud consists of the Mishnah and Gemara. The Written and Oral Torahs was handed down through the successive generations from the time of Moses. [See a page of Talmud]

G-d
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Moses
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Joshua
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Elders
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Prophets
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Men of the Great Assembly
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Pharisees
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Rabbis

The Talmud is divided into 6 seders (orders) and 39 different tractates.

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Mishnah (Oral Torah)
The Mishnah was transmitted to Moshe Rabbenu (Moses our Teacher) from G-d at Mount Sinai at the time that the Written Torah was transmitted. The Mishnah was kept in the oral tradition until it was written down in the time of Rabbi Judah the Holy (aka Rabbi Judah the Prince) ca. 130-220CE. It was written down to help ensure that in the time of duress and danger that it would survive. The Mishnah is divided into established law and rejected law. Established law is the law that was given directly from Moshe Rabbenu who received it directly from G-d. Rejected law is a side of the argument that was recorded but rejected as law. Before the study of Torah a brocha (blessing) is said in which the person thanks G-d for giving the Jews Torah. There have been many rabbis who have written commentaries on the Talmud. Any complete study of the Torah needs to include some commentary from these Sages.

The Mishnah is divided into six seders (orders).

Seder Zeraim ("The Order of Seeds") - agriculture and prayer
Seder Moed ("The Order of Festivals") - Shabbat, festivals, and fasts
Seder Nashim ("The Order of Women") - infidelity, marriage, and divorce
Seder Nezikin ("The Order of Damages") - civil and criminal law, government, and ethics
Seder Kodashim ("The Order of Holy Things") - Temple, sacrifices, kashrut
Seder Tohorot ("The Order of Purity") - ritual purity and impurity

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Gemara
The Gemara is made up of rabbinic commentaries and contain 21 components.

Tosefta ("Addition") is a form of mishnaic material not included in the Mishnah.
Beraitha ("Outside Material") is all the other mishnaic material (other than that contained in the Tosefta) compiled and transmitted by sages after the Mishnah was given.
Peyrush (Explanation) is the explanation by the Gemara on topics in the Mishnah.
She'eyla is a request for a ruling where the law is determined by the given explanation.
Teshuva is the answer give in the She'eyla upon which the law is established.
Difficulty is an objection brought against the opinion of an Amora (Sage).
Resolution is the answer given to resolve the Difficulty that is accepted as law if it is not disputed.
Refutation is a ruling that is refuted by proofs and the law is determined based upon the strengths of these proofs.
Support is a source used to strengthen a ruling and support the ruling's acceptance.
Contradiction is when an apparent contradiction is pointed out between two equivalent sources.
Necessity is a determination that two or more similar statements in a source are needed.
Attack is a raised objection.
Case is the citation of an occurrence on which a decision is reported.
Tradition is a saying that has information contained in it on a halakhic (Jewish legal) subject.
Sugya is a passage that contains a series of questions and answers.
Hilchetha is a decision that is rendered in a case of a dispute.
Teyku is a matter that is left with out a decision.
Interpretation is when a sage attempts to reinterpret a source so that it no longer conflicts with his opinion.
Aggada is everything mentioned that is not directly connected with the halakhic piece of a mitzvot.
Teaching is the mitzvot of sages teaching to their students.
Shitta is a number of individual sages holding a similar opinion that are cited together.

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