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Topic 5
Taanaim
The Misnaic period lasted about 210 years. It was also referred to as the period of the Taanaim. Tana from the word Taanaim means repeaters or teachers. There are about 120 known Taanaim.
Taanaim
The Taanaim were rabbis who wrote their opinions in the Mishnah. The period of the Taanaim came after the period of Zugot and was followed by the period of the Amoraim.
Where did the name Zugot come from?
The word Zugot in Hebrew means two identical things. In English, it means pairs. The word Zugot is referring to the 5 pairs of scholars from 142 B.C.E to around 40 B.C.E who ruled the supreme court.
Zugot
The time of the second temple is the period of time that Zugot refers to. In this time the Jewish people's spiritual leadership was in the hands of the religious teachers of the 5 successful generations of Zugot.