Tannaim Period

The Tannaim were the sages of the Mishnah period. They lived during the final years of the Second Temple, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70, the Bar Kokhba revolt in 132–135, and the rebuilding of Jewish life afterward. Important figures include Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi.

This period is one of the most important in Jewish history because the Oral Torah was organized and preserved after the Temple was destroyed. Around 200, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi edited the Mishnah, which became the foundation of later rabbinic Judaism and the base text of the Talmud.