When Antoninus succeeded Hadrian as the emperor of Rome, the Jews at last enjoyed a brief respite of peace. Rabbi Yehudah ha Nassi seized the moment by calling together a convention of Torah scholars in which the Mishnah, the first written record of Oral Law, was compiled and edited. With Talmudic stories illustrating the lives of the Mishnaic rabbis, listeners get a glimpse into the forces of genius that created the book that is the backbone of the Talmud.

• the miracle that gave Rabbi Meir Baal Ha Nes his name
• Roman pursuit of the Jewish sages
• Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the cave
• the origins of the Zohar