In this book various authors explore how rabbinic traditions that were formulated in the Land of Israel migrated to Jewish study houses in Babylonia. The authors demonstrate how the new location and the unique literary character of the Babylonian Talmud combine to create new and surprising texts out of the old ones. Some authors concentrate on inner rabbinic social structures that influence the changes the traditions underwent. Others show the influence of the host culture on the metamorphosis of the traditions. The result is a complex study of cultural processes, as shaped by a unique historical moment. Ronit Nikolsky has a PhD from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is a lecturer in Jewish and Israel Studies at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, The Netherlands. She specializes in the spread of Midrashic narratives and in the cognitive approach to the study of culture. Tal Ilan has a PhD from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is Professor of Jewish Studies at the Freie Universität, Berlin. She specializes in rabbinic Judaism, ancient Jewish onomastics, and gender questions.