What are the earliest forms of rabbinic literature like?
The earliest rabbinic literature comes from the first two centuries of the Common Era. Washofsky defines these two genres aptly: Mishnah – It means repetition and it is a concise statement of Jewish practice (halakha) that does not seek support in Biblical verses or in a precedent from earlier sages. It simply states the ruling, though minority opinions are often included, in case later rabbinic courts decide the minority opinion was correct. There were various collections of mishnayot (plural of mishnah), but one in particular became authoritative, the collection gathered by Rabbi Judah HaNasi (called simply Rabbi). This work is what people refer to as “the Mishnah,” though other sayings by these early sages (called the Tannaim) are also preserved in later rabbinic works. Midrash – It means searching or investigation and it is a commentary that derives Jewish practice (halakha) from an analysis of the text, says Washofsky. So, where Mishnah states without proof the halakha, midrash go
