The Talmud can be described as a transcription of the lectures, conversations, and stories told in the great yeshivas of Babylonia for 350 years. It collected together the entire Oral Tradition - the Mishnah and Midrash. Spanning a tremendous range of topics, the give and take discussions between its rabbis are truly awe-inspiring.

• Why was Babylonia such a haven for the Jews?
• What is the Midrash?
• Rav and Shmuel - the rivals who gave the Talmud its flavor
• Rabbi Yochanon and Reish Lakish - an unlikely pair