A transitional form of the language occurs in the other works of Tannaitic literature dating from the century beginning with the completion of the Mishnah.

Mishnaic Hebrew is found primarily from the first to the fourth centuries, corresponding to the Roman period after the destruction of the Second Temple in the Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE).

Archaeologist Yigael Yadin mentions that three Bar Kokhba revolt documents he and his team found in the Cave of Letters are written in Mishnaic Hebrew[2] and that it was Simon bar Kokhba who revived Hebrew and made it the official language of the state during the revolt (132–135).

Possibly the change was made by a special decree of Bar-Kokhba who wanted to restore Hebrew as the official language of the state.

The Gemara (גמרא, circa 500 in Lower Mesopotamia), as well as the earlier Jerusalem Talmud published between 350 and 400, generally comment on the Mishnah and Baraitot in Middle Aramaic.

The second stage begins with the Amoraim, and sees RH being replaced by Aramaic as the spoken vernacular, surviving only as a literary language.

A notable characteristic distinguishing it from Biblical Hebrew of the classical period is begadkefat, the spirantization of the post-vocalic stops b, g, d, p, t, and k, which it has in common with Aramaic.

Some surviving manuscripts of the Mishna confuse guttural consonants, especially aleph (א‎) (a glottal stop) and ʿayin (ע‎) (a voiced pharyngeal fricative).

Loss of a distinction in these two letters as well as between heth and he are also associated with Galilean Hebrew speakers in the Tannaitic period, a source of frequent criticism by Judean writers.

For example, Pirqe Avoth 1:2 על שלושה דברים העולם עומד "The world is sustained by three things", lit.

For example, Pirqe Avot 1:3: הוא היה אומר, אל תהיו כעבדים המשמשין את הרב "He would say, don't be like slaves serving the master...", lit.