»On That Day«: The Deeds of the 72 (m. Yadayim 3:5–4:4) as Foundational Narrative for Rabbinic Judaism

This article presents a unified reading of m. Yadayim 3:5–4:4, arguing that this passage reflects the only extended foundational narrative for Rabbinic Judaism in the Mishnah proper. It presents a distinctive account of the birth of rabbinic Judaism, which is portrayed as having occurred on one auspicious day sometime in the Yavne period.