Talmudic law was formulated over a period of several hundred years, and undoubtedly considerable evolution occurred in its treatment of the issues to be discussed in this chapter. In general, the Talmud manifests a conception of halachic history as stable. Natural law is not an empirical theory about causal links, but rather an attempt to justify the authority of the law. In talmudic jurisprudence, three levels of binding halachic statements can be distinguished, namely, law (halachah), law to be applied (halachah lemaase), and concrete judicial rulings. The chapter begins by considering the distinction between law and the law to be applied. Alongside the dialogue and debate that characterize study of the Talmud, there is also the normative determination of what constitutes the law (halachah). The description of talmudic jurisprudence in the chapter would be incomplete without mentioning that the society that made talmudic jurisprudence possible is very different from contemporary western society.