Mishnaic Sages

A series of lectures outlining biographical sketches and anecdotes of the lives and teachings of the Sages of the Talmud (the Mishnaic era).

How did we get from the revelation at Sinai to the halachah we have today?

Rabbi Judah the Prince (circa 135–219 CE), also known as Rabbeinu Hakadosh, is credited with having compiled statements of earlier sages to form the Mishnah, when the Oral Law was in peril of being forgotten. In this class we also go through Maimonides’ l...

The original Christians were Jews who acted Jewishly in all respects except for their belief in Yeshu. Eventually, the Christians realized that the Jewish people would not accept their idolatrous beliefs, and decided to introduce their religion to the Gen...

Ten great sages were brutally tortured and executed by the Romans.

This revolt began as small, spontaneous clashes between Jews and Roman forces.

Troubled by the Jewish success at Yavneh, the new emperor’s constant harassment forced the assembly to disband.

Instability caused by Roman Emperor Domitian’s temporary breakup of the Yavneh assembly resulted in a number of disputes that created dissension among the Torah scholars.