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Rabban
Shimon ben Gamliel, Rabbi Yishmael the Kohen Gadol., Rabbi Akiva,
Haninah ben Teradion, Hutzpit the Interpreter, Elazar ben Shamua, Hanina
ben Hakinai, Yesheivav the Scribe, Judah ben Dama, Judah ben Baba THE 10 MARTYRS
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/355-abot-de-rabbi-nathan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avot_of_Rabbi_Natan
Avot de-Rabbi Nathan (Hebrew: אבות דרבי נתן), usually printed together with the minor tractates of the Talmud, is a Jewish aggadic work probably compiled in the geonic era (c.700–900 CE). Although Avot de-Rabbi Nathan is the first and longest of the "minor tractates", it probably does not belong in that collection chronologically, having more the character of a late midrash. In the form now extant it contains a mixture of Mishnah and Midrash, and may be technically designated as a homiletical exposition of the Mishnaic tractate Pirkei Avoth, having for its foundation an older recension (version) of that tractate. It may be considered as a kind of "tosefta" or "gemarah" to the Mishna Avot, which does not possess a traditional gemarah. Avot de-Rabbi Nathan contains many sentences, proverbs, and incidents that are not found anywhere else in the early rabbinical literature (Cashdan 1965). Other rabbinical sayings appear in a more informal style than what is found in the canonical Mishna Avot redacted by Judah I.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_the_Babylonian
Nathan the Babylonian (Hebrew: רבי נתן הבבלי), also known as Rabbi Nathan, was a tanna of the third generation (2nd century), the son of a Babylonian exilarch. For unknown reasons he left Babylonia, and his bright prospects there, to settle in the land of Israel, where he was made chief of the school at Usha (Hor. 13b; H. Grätz, Gesch. iv.185). Later he was entrusted by the patriarch R. Simon ben Gamaliel III to secure a reconciliation with R. Hananiah of Babylon, who had declared himself independent of the Sanhedrin of Judea and had established one in Babylon—a mission which Nathan, in company with R. Isaac, successfully executed (Grätz, l.c. pp. 188 et seq.). According to I. Halevy (in Dorot ha-Rishonim, p. 185), however, both Nathan and Isaac were still residents of Babylon.
Soon afterward dissensions occurred between Nathan and R. Meïr, on the one side, and the president, R. Simon, on the other, owing to an attempt by the latter to abolish the equality hitherto existing among all members of the school, by restricting the tokens of esteem shown by the community to other members of the school lower in distinction than the president. Nathan and Meïr conspired to depose Simon and to usurp his authority themselves, but the plot came to his knowledge, and he caused the conspirators to be expelled from the school. The two knew, however, how to make their absence felt. They sent in slips on which were written puzzling halakic questions, so that a member of the school once exclaimed: "We are inside, and the learning is outside!" Both Nathan and Meir were ultimately readmitted on condition that the name of neither should thenceforth be mentioned in connection with his halakic decisions, but that a pseudonym should be used instead. In the case of Nathan this pseudonym was "some say"; in that of Meïr, "others say" (Hor. 13b).
Nathan was a high Talmudic authority. Numerous halakic decisions and haggadic sayings of his are recorded. To him is attributed also the authorship of the treatise entitled Abot de-Rabbi Natan, a kind of tosefta to the Pirḳe Abot. He is said also to have been the author of the baraita Mem Ṭet Middot, no longer extant, on Haggadah and mathematics (Z. Frankel, Darke ha-Mishnah, p. 191, Leipzig, 1859).
Nathan's chief opponent in halakic decisions was the patriarch R. Judah I, whom, however, he is said to have assisted in the collaboration of the Mishnah (B. M. 86a, and Rashi ad loc.) and who held him in high esteem (B. B. 131a).
Rabbinical Eras
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Listing of the Tannaim
| Last Generation of Zugot Era |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillel_the_Elder
Hillel (הלל) (born Babylon traditionally c.110 BCE, died 10 CE[1] in Jerusalem) was a famous Jewish religious leader, one of the most important figures in Jewish history. He is associated with the development of the Mishnah and the Talmud. Renowned within Judaism as a sage and scholar, he was the founder of the House of Hillel school for Tannaïm (Sages of the Mishnah) and the founder of a dynasty of Sages who stood at the head of the Jews living in the land of Israel until roughly the fifth century of the Common Era. He is popularly known as the author of two sayings: (1) "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am 'I'? And if not now, when?"[2] and (2) the expression of the ethic of reciprocity, or "Golden Rule": "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn."[3] "As Hillel the Elder had stated, whosoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whosoever that saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world." [4] 'Olam' can alternatively be translated 'age' or 'world'.[5] Hillel lived in Jerusalem during the time of King Herod and the Roman Emperor Augustus. In the Midrash compilation Sifre (Deut. 357), the periods of Hillel's life are made parallel to those in the life of Moses. Both lived 120 years (Deut. 34:7), and at the age of forty Hillel went to the Land of Israel; forty years he spent in study; and the last third of his life he was the spiritual head of the Jewish people. A biographical sketch can be constructed; that Hillel went to Jerusalem in the prime of his life and attained a great age. His activity of forty years likely covered the period of 30 BC to 10 AD. LifeHillel was born in Babylon and, according to the Iggeret of Rav Sherira Gaon (a comprehensive history of the composition of the Talmud from the 10th century), Hillel descended from the Tribe of Benjamin on his father's side, and from the family of David on his mother's side.[6] Nothing definite, however, is known concerning his origin, nor is he anywhere called by his father's name, which may have been Gamliel.[citation needed]When Josephus ("Vita," § 38) speaks of Hillel's great-grandson, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel I, as belonging to a very celebrated family (γένους σφόδρα λαμπροῦ), he probably refers to the glory the family owed to the activity of Hillel and Rabban Gamliel Hazaken. Only Hillel's brother Shebna is mentioned; he was a merchant, whereas Hillel devoted himself to studying the Torah whilst also working as a woodcutter (Hertz 1936). His positionAccording to the Mishnah Hillel went to Jerusalem with the intention of studying Biblical exposition and tradition at the age of 40 in 70 BC. The difficulties Hillel had to overcome to gain admittance to the school of Sh'maya and Abtalion, and the hardships he suffered while pursuing his aim, are told in a touching passage (Talmud, tractate Yoma 35b), the ultimate purpose of which is to show that poverty cannot be considered as an obstacle to the study of Torah. Some time later, Hillel succeeded in settling a question concerning the sacrificial ritual in a manner that showed his superiority over the Benei Betheira (literally, sons of Betheira), who were at that time the heads of the Sanhedrin. On that occasion, it is narrated, they voluntarily resigned their position as Nasi (President) in favor of Hillel. After the resignation of the Benei Betheira, Hillel was recognized as the highest authority among the Pharisees (predecessors to Rabbinic Judaism). Hillel was the head of the great school, at first associated with Menachem, a scholar mentioned in no other connection, afterward with Shammai, Hillel's peer in the teaching of Jewish Law.Whatever Hillel's position, his authority was sufficient to introduce those decrees handed down in his name. The most famous of his enactments was the Pruzbul, (προσβολή), an institution that, in spite of the law concerning cancellation of debts in the Sabbatical year (Deut. xv) ensured the repayment of loans. The motive for this institution was the "repair of the world", i.e., of the social order, because this legal innovation protected both the creditor against the loss of his property, and the needy against being refused the loan of money for fear of loss. A likewise tendency is found in another of Hillel's institutions, having reference to the sale of houses. These two are the only institutions handed down in Hillel's name, although the words that introduce the pruzbul show that there were others. Hillel's judicial activity may be inferred from the decision by which he confirmed the legitimacy of some Alexandrians whose origin was disputed, by interpreting the marriage document (ketubah) of their mother in her favor (Tosef., Ket. iv 9; B. M. 104a). Of other official acts no mention is found in the sources. The Golden RuleThe saying of Hillel that introduces the collection of his maxims in the Mishnaic treatise Pirkei Avoth mentions Aaron HaKohen (the high priest) as the great model to be imitated in his love of peace, in his love of man, and in his leading mankind to a knowledge of the Law (Pirkei Avoth 1:12).In mentioning these characteristics, which the Haggadah attributes to Moses' brother, Hillel stated his own prominent virtues. He considered "love of man" the kernel of Jewish teaching. The comparative response to the challenge of a Gentile who asked that the Torah be explained to him while he stood on one foot, illustrates the character differences between Shammai and Hillel. Shammai dismissed the man. Hillel accepted the question and answered the man: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn"[7]Hillel recognized brotherly love as the fundamental principle of Jewish moral law. (Lev. xix. 18). From the doctrine of man's likeness to God, Hillel deduced man's duty to care for his own body. According to Midrash Leviticus rabbah he said "As in a theater and circus the statues of the king must be kept clean by him to whom they have been entrusted, so the bathing of the body is a duty of man, who was created in the image of the almighty King of the world." In this work, Hillel calls his soul a guest upon earth, toward which he must fulfill the duties of charity. In Avot, Hillel stated "If I am not for myself, who will be? And when I am for myself, what am 'I'? And if not now, when?" The third part contains the admonition to postpone no duty, the same admonition he gave with reference to study (Avot 2:4): "Say not, 'When I have free time I shall study'; for you may perhaps never have any free time." The precept that one should not separate oneself from the community, Hillel paraphrases, with reference to Eccl. iii. 4, in the following saying (Tosef., Ber. ii.): "Appear neither naked nor clothed, neither sitting nor standing, neither laughing nor weeping." Man should not appear different from others in his outward deportment; he should always regard himself as a part of the whole, thereby showing that love of man Hillel taught. The feeling of love for one's neighbor shows itself also in his exhortation (Avot ii. 4). Hillel’s awareness of his own insufficiency is expressed in the following maxim: "Don't trust yourself until the day you die." How far his love of man went may be seen from an example that shows that benevolence must be given with regard to the needs of the poor. Thus, Hillel provided to a man of good family who became poor, a riding horse, in order that he not be deprived of his customary physical exercise, and a slave, that he might be served (Tosef., Peah, iv. 10; Ket. 67b). Love of peaceThe exhortation to love peace emanated from Hillel's most characteristic traits—from that proverbial meekness and mildness—as in the saying: "Let a man be always humble and patient like Hillel, and not passionate like Shammai" (Shab. 30b; Ab. R. N. xv.). Hillel's gentleness and patience are illustrated in an anecdote that describes how two men made a wager on the question of whether Hillel could be made angry. Though they questioned him and made insulting allusions to his Babylonian origin, they were unsuccessful (ib.).The study of TorahThe many anecdotes according to which Hillel made proselytes, correspond to the third part of his maxim: "Bring men to the Law." A later source (Ab. R. N.) gives the following explanation of the sentence: Hillel stood in the gate of Jerusalem one day and saw the people on their way to work. "How much," he asked, "will you earn to-day?" One said: "A denarius"; the second: "Two denarii." "What will you do with the money?" he inquired. "We will provide for the necessities of life." Then said he to them: "Would you not rather come and make the Torah your possession, that you may possess both this and the future world?"This narrative has the same points as the epigrammatic group of Hillel's sayings (Avot. 2:7) commencing: "The more flesh, the more worms," and closing with the words: "Whoever has acquired the words of the Law has acquired the life of the world to come." In an Aramaic saying Hillel sounds a warning against neglect of study or its abuse for selfish purposes: "Whoever would make a name (i.e. glory) loses the name; he who increases not [his knowledge] decreases; whoever learns not [in Ab. R. N. xii.: "who does not serve the wise and learn"] is worthy of death; whoever makes use of the crown perishes" (Avot. 1:13). Hillel's influence: "House of Hillel" vs. "House of Shammai"
See also: Hillel and Shammai
Hillel's disciples are generally called the "House of Hillel", in contrast to Shammai's disciples, the "House of Shammai".
Their controversies concern all branches of the Jewish law. Only a few
decisions have been handed down under Hillel's name; but there can be no
doubt that much of the oldest anonymous traditional literature was due
directly to him or to the teachings of his masters. The fixation of the
norms of the Midrash and of halakhic Scripture exposition was first made
by Hillel, in the "seven rules of Hillel," which, as is told in one
source, he applied on the day on which he overcame the Benei Betheira
(Tosef., Sanh. vii., toward the end; Sifra, Introduction, end; Ab. R. N.
xxxvii.). On these seven rules rest the thirteen of R. Ishmael; they were epoch-making for the systematic development of the ancient Scripture exposition.Rules given to the sons of Bathyra by Hillel I. as the chief guides for the interpretation of the Scriptures and for the deduction of laws from them (Tosef., Sanh. vii.; the introduction to the Sifra, ed. Weiss, p. 3a, end; Ab. R. N. xxxvii.). They are as follows:
Other HillelsAt least two other notable Hillels are known. Some scholars have suggested that some sayings attributed to "Hillel" in some texts may be from other Hillels.[8]Hillel's sandwichDuring the Passover Seder (the annual commemoration of the Exodus from Egypt), one re-enacts ancient customs in the Haggadah. In the section of Korech, or 'sandwich', participants are instructed to place bitter herbs between two pieces of matzo and eat them after saying in Hebrew: This is a remembrance of Hillel in Temple times — This is what Hillel did when the Temple existed: He enwrapped the Paschal lamb, the matzo and the bitter herbs to eat them as one, in fulfillment of the verse, "with matzot and maror they shall eat it."(Numbers 9:11) This sandwich apparently refers to traditional soft matzot rather than modern crisp matzot, and so would have borne a striking resemblance to a modern shawarma.[9] In modern times, when there is no paschal lamb, Ashkenazi practice is to emulate this by making a matzo, maror, (horseradish or lettuce) sandwich. Philo has called this sandwich a "moral migration from wickedness to virtue. Repentant sinners at first brood bitterly (maror) over their past misdeeds. Then matzah, the healing food, brings them to humility and contentment."[10]Footnotes
Be humble
Seek an even temperament
Do not seek rewards
Do not leap to judge another person
Be fair and deliberate in legal decision
References
 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Schechter, Solomon; Bacher, Wilhelm (1901–1906). "Hillel". Jewish Encyclopedia. Mystical Utterances.
The epigrammatic and antithetic form of Hillel's sayings, as well as the almost mystic depth of his consciousness of God, may be seen from the words spoken by him at the festival of water-drawing, when, filled with a feeling of God's presence, he said: "If I am here—so says God—every one is here; if I am not here, nobody is here" (Suk. 53a; Ab. R. N. xii., without stating the occasion of the utterance). In like manner, with reference to Ex. xx. 24, and applying a proverb, Hillel makes God speak to Israel: "To the place in which I delight my feet bring me. If thou comest to mine house, I come to thine; if thou comest not to mine, I come not to thine." (Suk. l.c.; Tosef., Suk. iv. 3). In an epigrammatic form Hillel expresses the moral order of the world, according to which every sin is punished (Ab. ii. 6). Seeing a skull floating on the water, he said (in Aramaic): "Because thou didst drown, thou art drowned; and in the end they that have drowned, shall be drowned." Hillel was perhaps thinking here of the misdeeds of Herod and of the retribution which he could not escape. No indications exist of Hillel's relation to the rulers of his time; but his love of peace and his devotion to study as the most important part of his life, no doubt showed the way which his disciple Johanan ben Zakkai, under the yoke of the Romans and amidst the strife of parties which brought about the catastrophe of Jerusalem, pursued for the salvation of Judaism. A panegyric tradition concerning Hillel's pupils (Suk. 28a; B. B. 134a), which glorifies the master in the disciples, recounts that of the eighty disciples whom Hillel had (probably during the last period of his activity), thirty were worthy that the glory of God (the spirit of prophecy) should rest upon them as upon Moses; thirty, that for their sake the sun should stand still as for Joshua. It is possible that this figure, which may have had a historical basis, was a reference to the fact that among Hillel's disciples were those who, like Joshua, were ready to fight against Israel's enemy and were worthy of victory; perhaps, also, that to them belonged those distinguished and beloved teachers whom Josephus mentions ("Ant." xvii. 6, § 2), Judah ben Sarifai and Mattithiah ben Margalot, who shortly before Herod's death led a revolt directed against fixing the Roman eagle on the Temple gate. This tradition concerning Hillel's disciples mentions, moreover, two by name: Jonathan ben Uzziel and Johanan ben Zakkai (comp. also Yer. Ned. v., toward the end). Hillel's importance as the embodiment of the religious and moral teachings of Judaism and as the restorer of Jewish Scripture exegesis is expressed in a most significant manner in the words of lamentation uttered at his death: "Wo for the meek one! Wo for the pious! Wo for the disciple of Ezra!" (Tosef., Soṭah, xiii. 3; Soṭah 48b; Yer. Soṭah, toward the end). One day while he and the sages were assembled at Jericho, a heavenly voice is said to have exclaimed: "Among those here present is one man upon whom the Holy Spirit would rest, if his time were worthy of it." All eyes were thereupon fixed on Hillel. No miracles are connected with Hillel's memory. He lived, without the glory of legend, in the memory of posterity as the great teacher who taught and practised the virtues of philanthropy, fear of God, and humility.
Bibliography:
SHAMMAI (called also Shammai ha-Zaḳen [= "the Elder"]):Nevertheless Shammai was in no wise a misanthrope. He himself appears to have realized the disadvantages of his violent temper; hence he recommended a friendly attitude toward all. His motto was: "Make the study of the Law thy chief occupation; speak little, but accomplish much; and receive every man with a friendly countenance" (Ab. i. 15). He was modest even toward his pupils (B. B. 134b; comp. Weiss, "Dor," i. 163, note 1). In his religious views Shammai was strict in the extreme. He wished to make his son, while still a child, conform to the law regarding fasting on the Day of Atonement; and he was dissuaded from his purpose only through the insistence of his friends (Yoma 77b). Once, when his daughter-in-law gave birth to a boy on the Feast of Tabernacles, he broke through the roof of the chamber in which she lay in order to make a sukkah of it, so that his new-born grandchild might fulfil the religious obligation of the festival (Suk. 28a). Some of his sayings also indicate his strictness in the fulfilment of religious duties (comp. Beẓah 16a). In Sifre, Deut. § 203 (ed. Friedmann, 111b) it is said that Shammai commented exegetically upon three passages of Scripture. These three examples of his exegesis are: (1) the interpretation of Deut. xx. 20 (Tosef., 'Er. iii. 7); (2) that of II Sam. xii. 9 (Ḳid. 43a); and (3) either the interpretation of Lev. xi. 34, which is given anonymously in Sifra on the passage, but which is the basis for Shammai's halakah transmitted in 'Orlah ii. 5, or else the interpretation of Ex. xx. 8 ("Remember the Sabbath"), which is given in the Mekilta, Yitro, 7 (ed. Weiss, p. 76b) in the name of Eleazar b. Hananiah, but which must have originated with Shammai, with whose custom of preparing for the Sabbath (Beẓah l.c.) it accords. Shammai founded a school of his own, which differed fundamentally from that of Hillel (see Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai); and many of Shammai's sayings are probably embodied in those handed down in the name of his school.
Bibliography:
Bnei Bathyra (Hebrew: בני בתירא, lit. "The Children of Bathyra"; Also referred to in the Jerusalem Talmud as זקני בתירא, lit. "The Elders of Bathyra") were Jewish sages family that in a certain period of time, headed the religious leadership of the Jewish people, during the Destruction of the Second Temple, and in close proximity to the beginning of the era of the Tannaim. This family is known for its many important Jewish Sages over the course of many generations. A hundred year before the Destruction of the Second Temple, the family's sages have passed the torch of the Jewish leadership to Hillel the Elder, that made Aliya to the Land of Israel from Babylon and had studied at Sh'maya and Abtalion. The sages of the family are considered " Gedolei Hador", the intellectual giants of the religious world of these generations, even after the Destruction of the Second Temple, and are known to have held a prominent position among the Yavne Sages. The general consensus attributes some Tannaim to this family, and the most known of these attributions is Judah ben Bathyra, who resided in Nusaybin west to Babyl
Akabia's motto in life was: "Remember whence thou hast come, whither thou goest, and before whom thou must be prepared to render an account of thy doings".[8] Beyond this maxim and the halakot enumerated above, nothing from him has been transmitted. As to his epoch scholars are divided. While some place him in the patriarchate of Hillel I (30 BC to 10 of the present era), and even somewhat earlier, others bring him down to the first tannaitic generation (10-80); still others believe that he flourished during the patriarchate of Gamaliel II (80-117). The circumstances and scholastic achievements of the second tannaitic generation render Akabia's excommunication more reasonable. The decree of excommunication failed to obscure Akabia's merited fame; for his name reached subsequent generations surrounded by such a halo of glory as to throw doubt on the decree itself. "God forbid," exclaims Judah b. Ilai, one of the tannaim of the fourth generation (139-165), "that we should think that Akabia was excommunicated, for the Temple gates were never closed behind a man in Israel so great in wisdom and in the fear of sin as was Akabia ben Mahalalel".[1] This expression, which is based on the law forbidding an excommunicated person to enter the Temple court, was in later days taken literally, and gave rise to forced halakic discussions and comments,[9][10] as well as to hypothetical speculations about the age of Akabia. Elsewhere [11] it is said, "Whoever asserts that Akabia was ever excommunicated will have to answer before the tribunal of heaven." This observation is wrongly attributed to Judah b. Betera I;[12] and conclusions as to Akabia's early age are erroneously deduced therefrom. Hananiah ben Hezekiah ben Garon (Hebrew: חנניה בן חזקיה בן גרון, or in short חנניה בן חזקיה, "Hananiah ben [Son of] Hezekiah") was a Jewish Tanna sage, contemporary of House of Shammai and House of Hillel era. He is recounted as being one of several sages who weighed in on the question of the canonization of the Book of Ezekiel. The contradictions of the Book of Ezekiel are said to have been resolved in the aliyah, or upper chamber, of his house of study. He took 300 barrels of oil along with him, and shut himself at that place, where he looked up and studied their claims, until he was able to resolve the contradictions. Some sources identify this story with his son, Eleazar ben Hananiah. http://www.haaretz.com/culture/books/fast-or-feast-1.109244 The Gemara summons the matter: "Rab Judah said in Rab's name: In truth, that man, Hananiah son of Hezekiah by name, is to be remembered for blessing. If it were not him, the Book of Ezekiel would have been hidden" |
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| First Generation | In Christian traditionThe Acts of the Apostles introduces Gamaliel as a Pharisee and celebrated doctor of the Mosaic Law in Acts 5:34–40. In the larger context (vs. 17–42), Peter and the other apostles are described as being prosecuted before the sanhedrin and senate (or elders) for continuing to preach the gospel, despite the Jewish authorities having previously prohibited it. The passage describes Gamaliel as presenting an argument against killing the apostles, reminding them about the previous revolts of Theudas and Judas of Galilee which had collapsed quickly after the deaths of those individuals. Gamaliel's advice was accepted after his concluding argument:
In the apocryphal Gospel of Gamaliel, he figures as a witness to the raising of a dead man at Jesus' tomb.[18]
Veneration as a Saint
The Eastern Orthodox Church venerates Gamaliel as a saint, where he is commemorated on August 2, the date when tradition holds that his relics were found, along with those of Stephen the Protomartyr, Abibas (Gamaliel's son), and Nicodemus. The traditional liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the same feast day of the finding of the relics on August 3. It is said that in the 5th century, by a miracle, his body had been discovered and taken to Pisa Cathedral.[22]^ Catholic Encyclopedia, Gamaliel the Elder The Jewish account maintains that he remained a Pharisee until his death. Contemporary Jewish records continue to list him first among the Sanhedrin.[23] Cheyne and Black (1903). Encyclopedia Biblica. New York: Macmillan. Simeon ben Gamliel (I) (Hebrew: שמעון בן גמליאל or רשב"ג הראשון, c. 10 BCE - 70 CE) was a Tanna sage and leader of the Jewish people. He succeeded his father Gamliel I as the nasi of the Sanhedrin after his father's death in 50 CE and just before the destruction of the Second Temple. The traditional view[citation needed] is that he was killed by the Romans as one of the Ten Jewish Martyrs.[citation needed] during the First Jewish-Roman War. He was a direct descendant of King David and the great-grandson of Hillel the Elder.[citation needed] His tomb, located in Kafr Kanna near the Golani Interchange in the lower Galilee of northern Israel, has remained an important site for Jewish pilgrims for almost 2,000 years.
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| Second Generation (Destruction of the Second Temple and thereafter) |
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| Third Generation | ṬARFON (Greek, Τρύφων Yer. Bik. 64c):
Table of Contents
As Halakist. Although as a halakist R. Ṭarfon was an adherent of the school of Shammai, only two passages describe him as following its teachings (Yeb. 15b; Yer. Sheb. iv. 20), and he always inclined toward leniency in the interpretation of those halakot of Shammai which had not actually been put into practise (Kil. v. 6; Yeb. xv. 6; Ket. v. 2); often he decided in direct opposition to the Bet Shammai when it imposed restrictions of excessive severity (Yeb. xv. 47; Naz. v. 5). R. Ṭarfon was also the author of independent halakot, one being on the form of benediction when quenching thirst with water (Ber. vi. 8), and another on the benediction for the eve of the Passover (Pes. x. 6). The majority of his rulings, however, deal with subjects discussed in the orders Nashim, Ḳodashim, Ṭohorot, and NeziḲin. In those found in Ṭohorot his tendency is always toward severity, while in Neziḳin are found his sayings on lost objects and usufruct (B. M. iv. 3, v. 7), the payment of debts, the money due a woman when she receives a bill of divorce (Ket. ix. 2, 3), and damage caused by cattle (B. K. ii. 5, and the baraitot connected with this passage, p-26). If he had belonged to the Sanhedrin, the death-penalty would have been abolished (Mak. i. 10; comp. Frankel, "Der Gerichtliche Beweis," p. 48, Berlin, 1846). R. Ṭarfon engaged in halakic controversies with R. Akiba (Ket. 84a; Pes. 117, 118), but the two agreed with regard to a tosefta (Miḳ. i.; Ḳid. 66; Yer. Yoma. i. 1; Ter. iv. 5; Mak. i. 10; Ker. v. 3), with R. Simeon (Men. xii. 5; possibly, however, an error for R. Akiba), and R. Eleazar ben Azariah (Yad. iv. 3). Other sayings of his have been preserved which were accepted without controversy (Pes. 117a, 118a; Giṭ. 83a); and two of his apothegms are especially noteworthy as indicating his intense earnestness: "The day is short, the labor vast, the toilers idle, the reward great, and the Master urgent" (Ab. i. 15); "It is not thy task to complete the work, neither art thou a free man that thou canst withdraw thyself; if thou hast learned much, great shall be thy reward, for He that doth hire thee will surely repay thee for thy toil; yet the requital of the pious is in the future" (Ab. i. 17). In the discussion as to the relative importance of theory and practise, Ṭarfon decided in favor of the latter. Incidents of His Life. When Eliezer ben Hyrcanus was sick, and a deputation was sent to him, R. Ṭarfon acted as the spokesman, addressing him as follows: "Master, thou art of more worth to Israel than the sun, for that gives light only on earth, while thou dost shed thy rays both in this world and in the world to come" (Sanh. 101a; Mek., Baḥodesh, xi. [ed. Weiss, p. 80a]). In like manner heled a number of scholars in a visit to R. Ishmael ben Elisha, upon the death of the sons of the latter (M. Ḳ. 28b); and when Jose the Galilean, R. Ṭarfon, R. Eliezer ben Azariah, and R. Akiba assembled to decide on the disputed sayings of Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, Ṭarfon was the first speaker (Tosef., Giṭ. vii.; Giṭ. 83a). He was one of those whose names occurred in the depositionof Gamaliel II., and it is expressly stated that he was addressed as "brother" by the other scholars. He is said to have dwelt at Jabneh, although it is evident that he lived also in Lydda (Ta'an. iii. 9; B. M. iv. 3; Ḥag. 18a). R. Ṭarfon was accustomed to open his haggadic discourses with a halakic question (Tosef., Ber. iv. 16). In his own upper chamber at Jabneh it was decided that benevolence should be practised according to the injunction of Ps. cvi. 3 (Esth. R. vi. 2, 5). ṬTarfon held that God did not allow His glory to overshadow Israel until the people had fulfilled a task (Ab. R. N. ii.), and that death can overtake one only when he is idle (comp. Gen. xlix. 33). Domestic Life. On festivals and holy days R. Ṭarfon was accustomed to delight his wife and children by preparing for them the finest fruits and dainties (Yer. Pes. 37b). When he wished to express approval of any one, he would say, "'A knop and a flower' [Ex. xxv. 33]; thou hast spoken as beautifully as the adornments of the candlestick in the Temple"; but when it was necessary to upbraid another, he would say, "'My son shall not go down with you'" (Gen. R. xci.), repeating the words of Jacob to his sons in Gen. xlii. 38. When he perceived that his two nephews, whom he was instructing personally, were becoming careless, he interrupted his lecture and regained their attention by saving, "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Johanna" (instead of Keturah; Gen. xxv. 1), whereupon his pupils interrupted him by exclaiming, "No, Keturah!" (Zeb. 26b). His chief scholars were R. Judah ('Er. 45b; Yeb. 101b), Simeon Shezari (Men. 31b), and Judah ben Isaiah ha-Bosem (Ḥul. 55b). R. Ṭarfon was extremely bitter against those Jews who had been converted to the new faith; and he swore that he would burn every book of theirs which should fall into his hands (Shab. 116a), his feeling being so intense that he had no scruples against destroying the Gospels, although the name of God occurred frequently in them. Judah ben Bava
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Contributions to TalmudJudah ben Bava is the subject of many sayings and legends. He was known as "the Ḥasid," and it is said that wherever the Talmud speaks of "the Ḥasid", it is a reference either to him or to Judah ben Ilai.He authored several decisions in the Halakha, including the ruling that one witness to the death of the husband is sufficient to justify permitting the wife to marry again (Hamburger, "R. B. T." ii. 451). Rabbi Akiva was his most powerful opponent in halakhic disputes (Bacher, "Ag. Tan." i. 404).
Jeshbab the Scribe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jeshbab was benevolent, and had handed out all his property to the needy, a deed that was not viewed with favour by his colleagues. Once he wished to hand a fifth of his property to the needy, and R. Akiva ben Joseph did not allow him to do so.[1] Jeshbab is accounted among the Ten Martyrs. References
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A work which in the form now extant contains a mixture of Mishnah and Midrash, and may be designated as a homiletical exposition of the Mishnaic treatise Pirḳe Abot, having for its foundation an older recension of the treatise. Touching its original form, its age, and its dependence on earlier or later recensions of the Mishnah, there are many opinions, all of which are ably discussed in Schechter's introduction. There are two recensions of this work, one of which is usually printed with the Babylonian Talmud in the appendix to the ninth volume, containing also the so-called Minor Treatises, and another which, until recently, existed in manuscript only. In 1887 Solomon Schechter published the two recensions in parallel columns, contributing to the edition a critical introduction and valuable notes. In order to distinguish the two recensions, the one which is printed with the Talmud may be called A; and the other, B. The former is divided into forty-one chapters, and the latter into forty-eight. Schechter has proved that recension B is cited only by Spanish authors. Rashi knows of recension A only.
"How [does the world
rest] on charity? Behold, the prophet (Hosea, vi. 6) said in the name
of the Lord, 'I desired charity [mercy], and not sacrifice.' The world
was created only by charity [mercy], as is said (Ps. lxxxix. 3), 'Mercy
shall be built up for ever' (or, as the rabbis translate this passage,
'The world is built on mercy'). Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, accompanied by
R. Joshua, once passed Jerusalem [after its fall]. While looking upon
the city and the ruins of the Temple, R. Joshua exclaimed, 'Wo unto us,
that the holy place is destroyed which atoned for our sins!' R. Johanan
replied, 'My son, do not grieve on this account, for we have another
atonement for our sins; it is charity, as is said, I desired charity,
and not sacrifice" (ch. iv.).
Rabbi Nathan, whose name appears in the title of the work under treatment, can not possibly have been its only author, since he flourished about the middle of the second century, or a generation prior to the author of the Mishnah. Besides, several authorities are quoted who flourished a long time after R. Nathan; for instance, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi. The designation "De-Rabbi Nathan" may perhaps be explained by the circumstance that R. Nathan is one of the first authorities mentioned in the opening chapter of the work. Perhaps the school of the tannaite R. Nathan originated the work. It is also called Tosefta to Abot (see Horowitz, "Uralte Toseftas," i. 6, Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1889; Brüll's "Jahrbücher," ix. 139 et seq.). The two recensions of the work in their present shape evidently have different authors; but who they were can not be ascertained. Probably they belonged to the period of the Geonim, between the eighth and ninth centuries.
Rabbi Nathan, whose name appears in the title of the work under treatment, can not possibly have been its only author, since he flourished about the middle of the second century, or a generation prior to the author of the Mishnah. Besides, several authorities are quoted who flourished a long time after R. Nathan; for instance, Rabbi Joshua ben Levi. The designation "De-Rabbi Nathan" may perhaps be explained by the circumstance that R. Nathan is one of the first authorities mentioned in the opening chapter of the work. Perhaps the school of the tannaite R. Nathan originated the work. It is also called Tosefta to Abot (see Horowitz, "Uralte Toseftas," i. 6, Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1889; Brüll's "Jahrbücher," ix. 139 et seq.). The two recensions of the work in their present shape evidently have different authors; but who they were can not be ascertained. Probably they belonged to the period of the Geonim, between the eighth and ninth centuries.
Bibliography:
- Zunz, G. V., 1st ed., pp. 108 et seq.;
- S. Taussig, Neweh Shalom, Munich, 1872, in which pamphlet a part of Abot de-Rabbi Nathan, recension B, was for the first time published, according to a manuscript of the Munich Library;
- S. Schechter, Abot de-Rabbi Nathan, Vienna, 1887;
- Monatsschrift, 1887, pp. 374-383;
- Steinschneider, Hebr. Bibl. xii. 75 et seq.
- A Latin translation of Abot de-Rabbi Nathan was published by Franz Tayler, London, 1654: Tractatus de Patribus Rabbi Nathan Auctore, in Linguam Latinam Translatus. An English version is given by M. L. Rodkinsonin his translation of the Babylonian Talmud, i. 9, New York, 1900. Schechter gives the commentaries to Abot de-Rabbi Nathan in his edition, xxvii. et seq. Emendations were made by Benjamin Motal in his collectanea, called Tummat Yesharim, Venice, 1622. Commentaries have been written by Eliezer Lipman of Zamosc, Zolkiev, 1723;
- by Elijah ben Abraham, and notes by Elijah Wilna, Wilna, 1833;
- by Abraham Witmand, Ahabat Ḥesed, Amsterdam, 1777;
- by Joshua Falk, Binyan Yehoshu'a, Dyhernfurth, 1788.
- Steinschneider, Cat. Bodl. col. 2034;
- Benjacob, Oẓar ha-Sefarim, p. 654.
