The Mishnah in Context

In this 10-session course, Talmud scholar and Hadar faculty member, Dr. Jeremy Tabick, guides you through the Mishnah's origins and purpose, and the perspectives of its authors, the Tannaim. Through direct study of some of the most defining chapters of Mishnah, alongside contemporaneous texts, you'll gain insight into the Mishnah's cultural and historical context and how the Mishnah understands itself. Using modern scholarly methods, Dr. Tabick uncovers the Mishnah's relationship with the world in which it was written, from the biblical era to the Roman period. Additionally, each session highlights a distinctive feature of the Mishnah's style, helping you sharpen your text skills and deepen your understanding of the way the Tannaim thought. For those already familiar with the Mishnah, this course offers a deeper dive into this essential text and its enduring impact on Jewish tradition.

Please note: This course is ideal for those who have seen Mishnah before but have never studied it in depth, on its own and for its own sake, or for anyone interested in modern approaches to Mishnah scholarship. If you are new to text study, we recommend taking R. Avi Strausberg's course "Intro to the Jewish Bookshelf" before starting this course.