jan 1, 170 BC - Zugot Period

Description:

The Zugot, meaning “pairs,” were rabbinic leaders during the late Second Temple period. Each generation was led by two major sages: one usually served as Nasi, the head of the Sanhedrin, and the other as Av Beit Din, the head of the court. This period took place during the Hasmonean kingdom, the Roman takeover, and the final centuries before the destruction of the Second Temple.

This stage is especially important because it includes the famous schools of Hillel and Shammai. Their debates became a foundation for later rabbinic law. The Zugot period shows the rise of organized rabbinic debate and legal interpretation before the Mishnah was officially written down.

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