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Savora (; Aramaic language: סבורא, "a reasoner", plural Savora'im, Sabora'im , סבוראים) is a term used in Jewish law and history to signify one among the leading rabbis living from the end of period of the Amoraim (around 500 CE) to the beginning of the Geonim (around 600 CE). As a group they are also referred to as the Rabbeinu Sevorai or Rabanan Saborai, and may have played a large role in giving the Talmud its current structure. Modern scholars also use the plural term Stammaim (Hebrew; "closed, vague or unattributed sources") for the authors of unattributed statements in the Gemara.
However, some statements within classical rabbinic literature, and later analysis thereof, have led many scholars to conclude that the Babylonian Talmud was smoothed over by the Savora'im, although almost nothing was changed. Modern Scholarship in the Study of Torah: Contributions and Limitations Shalom Carmy, Ed. The Orthodox Forum Series, Jason Aronson, Inc. There are statements in the Talmud itself referring to generations later than Ravina and Rav Ashi. Occasionally, multiple versions of the same legalistic discussion are included with minor variations. The text also states that various opinions emanated from various Talmudic academies.Berkovits E., "Savora'im". In: Encyclopedia Judaica (first edition) Keter Publishing, 1972
Sherira Gaon (c.987 CE) indicates that the Talmud was not in its final form until many generations after Ravina and Rav Ashi, and that Rabbah Jose was the final member of the Savora'im. Occasionally, specific Savora'im are mentioned by name in the Talmud itself, such as Ahai, who (according to later authority Rashbam) was a Savora.
The first to suggest that the Savoraim were the redactors of the whole Babylonian Talmud was Julius Kaplan in his book The Redaction of the Babylonian Talmud (1933). He was soon followed by Hyman Klein.Kalmin, Richard (1986). "The Post: Rav Ashi Amoraim: Transition or Continuity? A Study of the Role of the Final Generations of Amoraim in the Redaction of the Talmud." AJS Review. 11 (2): 159–161.Terry R. Bard, "Julius Kaplan, Hyman Klein, and the Saboraic Element," in The Formation of the Babylonian Talmud, ed. Jacob Neusner (Leiden: Brill,1970): 61-74
David Weiss Halivni, a modern scholar, attempted to determine the authorship of anonymous portions of the Talmud. Halivni termed the editors of the Talmud as Stamma'im, a new term for rabbis that he placed after the period of the Tannaim and Amoraim, but before the Geonic period. He concluded that to a large extent, the Stamma'im essentially wrote the Gemara (the discussions in the Talmud about the Mishna). Halivni posited that during the time of Ravina I and Rav Ashi, they compiled a Gemara that was much smaller than the Gemara known today, and which likely was similar to the Mishna and to the Tosefta. He sees this proto-Gemara as a compilation of rulings that probably had little record of discussions. Halivni also posits that the Stamma'im did not always fully understand the context and import of the statement of the Tanna or Amora when it was said. The methodology employed in his commentary, Mekorot u' Mesorot, attempts to give Halivni's analysis of the correct import and context and demonstrates how the Talmud erred in its understanding of the original context.David Weiss Halivni Peshat and Derash: Plain and Applied Meaning in Rabbinic Exegesis Oxford University Press, NY, 1991
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