Tannaim

Tannaim (Amoraic Hebrew: Hebrew: תנאים [tannɔʔim] "repeaters", "teachers", singular tanna תנא [tanˈnɔː], borrowed from Aramaic)^[1] were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah,^[2] from approximately 10–220 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 210 years. It came after the period of the Zugot "Pairs" and was immediately followed by the period of the Amoraim "Interpreters".^[3]

The root tanna (תנא) is the Aramaic equivalent of the Hebrew root shanah (שנה), which also is the root word of Mishnah. The verb shanah means "to repeat [what one was taught]" and is used to mean "to learn".

The Mishnaic period is commonly divided into five periods according to generations. There are approximately 120 known Tannaim.

The Tannaim lived in several areas of the Land of Israel. The spiritual center of Judaism at that time was Jerusalem, but after the destruction of the city and the Second Temple, Yohanan ben Zakkai and his students founded a new Council of Jamnia.^{[citation needed]} Other places of learning were founded by his students in Lod and in Bnei Brak.

Some Tannaim worked as laborers (e.g., charcoal burners, cobblers) in addition to their positions as teachers and legislators. They were also leaders of the people and negotiators with the Roman Empire.^{[citation needed]}

^ Scharfstein, Sol (2008). Torah and Commentary: The Five Books of Moses : Translation, Rabbinic and Contemporary Commentary. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. p. 523. ISBN 978-1-60280-020-5. The rabbis educated at Yavneh would be links in the great unbroken chain of teachers of the Torah. Yohanan and those who followed him were called tannaim, meaning "repeaters" or "teachers.
^ Trachtenberg, Joshua (2004) [Originally published 1939]. "Glossary of Hebrew Terms". Jewish Magic and Superstition. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 333. ISBN 9780812218626. Retrieved Oct 21, 2022. Tanna (pl. Tannaim)—authorities cited in the Mishna and coëval writings.
^ Scharfstein, Sol (1996). Understanding Jewish History: From the patriarchs to the expulsion from Spain. KTAV Publishing House. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-88125-545-4. ... both in Palestine and in Babylonia, were called amoraim, meaning "speakers" or "interpreters"

[1] Scharfstein, Sol (2008). Torah and Commentary: The Five Books of Moses : Translation, Rabbinic and Contemporary Commentary. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. p. 523. ISBN 978-1-60280-020-5. The rabbis educated at Yavneh would be links in the great unbroken chain of teachers of the Torah. Yohanan and those who followed him were called tannaim, meaning "repeaters" or "teachers.

[2] Trachtenberg, Joshua (2004) [Originally published 1939]. "Glossary of Hebrew Terms". Jewish Magic and Superstition. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 333. ISBN 9780812218626. Retrieved Oct 21, 2022. Tanna (pl. Tannaim)—authorities cited in the Mishna and coëval writings.

[3] Scharfstein, Sol (1996). Understanding Jewish History: From the patriarchs to the expulsion from Spain. KTAV Publishing House. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-88125-545-4. ... both in Palestine and in Babylonia, were called amoraim, meaning "speakers" or "interpreters"

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