Tosafot are a whole study hall of French and German sages. We meet their method: comparing sugyot, questioning Rashi, and seeking consistency across the Shas.
The Tosafists worked after Rashi, some of them his descendants. They "added" to his commentary: they compared the sugya with other sugyot in the Shas and asked how everything fits together.
Typical structure: "And if you say..." - a question, often from another sugya.
"And one may say..." - the answer, often drawing a new distinction.
At first, learn Gemara with Rashi. When reading the sugya becomes fluent, add one Tosafot per page - the one closest to a question that came up for you.
On one page, find "ve-im tomar" and "ve-yesh lomar" in Tosafot, and phrase the question in one sentence.
Rashi builds the floor; Tosafot check it connects to the whole building.
Test yourself before marking the lesson complete.
What characterises the Tosafot method?
