The Mishnah Is Compiled 189-219 CE

Following the traumatic events of the Second Temple destruction, the rabbis understood that the frail Jewish spirit no longer would be able to pass on the Oral traditions, which were given together with the written Torah at Mount Sinai, in the way it was done before –orally, from father to son. 

As an act of preservation, Rabbi Yehuda haNassi made a bold decision to write down the bulk of the Oral Torah, which had been prohibited until then due to the fear that the Oral Law might be considered as human interpretation. 

Together with the sages of that time, he compiled some parts of the Oral Law in a clear and concise way, covering all areas of Jewish law, and called it the Mishna, derived from the Hebrew root shin-nun-heh, which means “repetition”. The Mishna consists of six books and 63 tractates by topic. 

It provided a basic code of conduct as well as specified formulas for interpreting and developing Torah law for future generations in an ever-changing world, creating a sustained system of life that has endured till today. 

Rabbi Yehuda HaNassi did most of the Mishnah while residing in Beit Shearim. In the picture are the ruins of the ancient synagogue of Beit Shearim.

‍