This episode explores an 11th century Western European scholar's take and a 12th century Spanish/North African scholar's understanding

We see that aspirations for Jewish self-determination and autonomy were ingrained in Jewish discourse a millennium before Zionism.

The passage from the Talmud around which this episode revovles is Tractate Rosh Hashanah 18b. Rashi's comments are to that passage.

The passage quoted from Maimonides/Rambam is from his commentary to the Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:3.