#Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi

[dadyomi]

Wednesday 2/22, Nazir 30: Splitting hairs

So much about adult responsibilities depends on the production of public hair, and yet I can't even remember growing mine. I feel like surely some kind of measure of maturity, like some achievement in learning Torah, would be more helpful.

[seborn9000]

The final line of the mishna states that from the time when Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi died, humility and fear of sin ceased. Rav Yosef said to the tanna who reviewed the mishna: Do not teach that humility ceased, for there is still one who is humble, namely me. (Sotah 49b)

our wisdom might be diminished, but wise guys have not ceased

[teachings2023]

Les 20 tzadikims importants dans le judaisme sont Rabbi Akiba, Rabbi Ishmael, Rabbi Judah ben Ilai, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, Rabbi Abbahu, Rabbi Simeon ben Gamliel, Rabbi Yose HaGelili, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi Hillel, Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa, Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri, Rabbi Abba Arikha, Rabbi Yehuda HeChassid, Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, Rabbi Isaac Luria, et Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. Ces tzadikims sont connus pour leur sagesse, leur savoir et leur influence sur le judaïsme et les écritures bibliques à travers les âges.

[isadora-b-l-e]

i just read the story of when Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi was teaching and one of his pupils had such horrible garlic breath that he demanded whoever ate the garlic leave and everyone in attendance left so that the actual culprit wouldn’t be embarrassed. talmud is fun !!!

Talmud is fun

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Rabbi Elazar had to hide from the Romans, so they went off to study Torah in a cave for twelve years, and then Eliyahu haNavi came to tell them that the emperor that was hunting for them had died, so it was safe to come out, but the first thing they saw when they exited the cave were people farming, and they were scandalized, all "look at these people wasting their time on getting food instead of getting Torah!" (which is wrong, you need food so you can study Torah, and also only studying Torah without another occupation leads to idleness which leads to not obeying the rules of the Torah, as Rabbi Gamliel ben Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi said in chapter 2 of Pirkei Avot). Then they shot laser beams out of their eyes and destroyed it all, so HaShem was like "dude wtf you emerge just to destroy My world? go to time out" and sent them back in the cave for another twelve months

[danieleneandermancini]

ZIPPORI E LE MERAVIGLIE ARCHEOLOGICHE DELLA GALILEA, ISRAELE

ZIPPORI E LE MERAVIGLIE ARCHEOLOGICHE DELLA GALILEA, ISRAELE

[blueiscoool]

1,850-Year-Old Bronze Roman Coin Discovered on Israeli Beach

The coin was minted in Alexandria, Egypt, in the reign of Emperor Antoninus Pius and contains the image of the Cancer zodiac sign and the moon goddess Luna.

A bronze Roman coin dating back 1,850 years with the symbol of the Cancer zodiac sign and a moon goddess was just discovered in the Carmel Beach in Haifa by archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA).

The coin was specifically discovered as part of a survey of the area in an effort to find antiques and save them from degradation.

This isn't the oldest Roman-era coin discovered - in fact, coins from the earlier Bar Kokhba revolt were found in Jerusalem two years ago. However, this coin was found in the water, is in remarkably good condition and its engravings shed considerable light on its origins and what it is meant to depict.

Israel in the Roman era

The coins used as money by the Romans were minted from gold, silver, bronze, copper and orichalcum - though historians are unclear as to what exactly the latter one is.

Over time, especially in the closing days of the Roman Republic and throughout the Roman Empire, these coins also contained a number of icons and writings.

This coin in particular is no exception, and the writing on it tells us exactly when the coin was minted, in year eight of the reign of Antoninus Pius, and where it was minted, Alexandria in Egypt.

Antoninus Pius was Roman emperor from 138 CE to 161 CE, so this would have been minted in either 144 CE or 145 CE. 

Pius's reign was well remembered and historians note him as one of the Five Good Emperors - alongside Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian and Marcus Aurelius - that presided over Rome's great golden age of Pax Romana. This is despite the fact that Pius wasn't a military man like many other notable Roman emperors and in fact his long reign was largely peaceful. Rather, his great strengths were in his skilled administration of the large empire, a profitable economy with a massive surplus in the empire's coffers and for his work as a progressive legal reformer. In fact, the administrative role Pius held was of such paramount importance to his reign that many historians believe he never actually left the city of Rome.

Pius's reign also saw him rule over what is now the State of Israel, with the Bar Kokhba revolt having ended just two years prior to his reign. This was important as it was now up to him to improve relations between the empire and the Jews, following the revolt and the many decrees of his predecessor, Hadrian, that had been extremely unpopular among the Jews, such as the ban on circumcision.

Pius was able to do this, however, and ties between Rome and the Jews improved. In fact, the Talmud even notes the close friendship between Antoninus Pius and the leader of the Jews in the Levant, Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi. Having said that, this is something some historians debate, as the Talmud just refers to an emperor known as Antoninus which could refer to either Pius's successor Marcus Aurelius, whose full name was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, or Caracalla, whose full name was also Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, though his birth name was Luciuus Septimius Bassianus.

His image has been found on coins in Israel before, too. One such coin from this era was found in 2021. It, too, contains the image of Antoninus Pius, with the other side containing the image of the Syrian moon god Men and the inscription "of the people of Geva Phillipi" and the date of the civic year 217, which would be 158 CE or 159 CE.

What was on the coin?

In addition to explaining when and where it was minted, the coin also included symbols.

On one side was the image of Antoninus Pius himself along with the inscription.

The other side contained two symbols. One of them was a crab, the zodiac sign of Cancer. The other side was the moon goddess, Luna.

The inclusion of Cancer seemed to have been due to the coin being part of a series of coins with zodiac symbols. 

Luna, however, is another story - but far from unprecedented.

Iconography in Roman coins tended to depict emperors and images of gods. This served to both spread the image and name of the emperor to the wider empire and associate him with a divine figure.

Luna was also important to the Roman Empire for another reason, as it was this goddess, along with the sun god Sol, that was used by the empire to represent Roman rule over the world as well as a guarantee of peace.

Its presence in the Carmel Beach

As Israel has been a pillar of the ancient world and has been ruled by numerous kingdoms and empires throughout history, it is no surprise that it is host to a wide range of archaeological finds, some of which are incredibly ancient.

However, as noted by IAA maritime archaeology unit director Yaakov Shavit, this is the first time something like this was found in Israeli waters.

"Along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in the State of Israel and its maritime area, there are many archaeological sites and finds that tell of connections that exited here in ancient times between the ports of the Mediterranean and the many countries along its shores," Shavit said in a statement.

"These findings, which sunk into the abyss and disappeared from sight for hundreds and thousands of years, were preserved in an amazing way... and their discovery completes pieces of the historical puzzle of Israel's history." Indeed, the discovery of this coin also reflects ever-changing perception of the sea in Israel and the vast importance it serves.

"In the last decade, Israel has been changing its perception of the sea," IAA director Eli Escozido explained. "Now, it is already clear that the sea is not the border of Israel, but is a significant part of it, in security, strategy and economics - and also in is heritage. It's home to natural treasures and cultural assets that must be explored and protected."

The finding of this coin, Escozido explained, is a "spectacular reminder" of the maritime archaeological survey.

Indeed, as the sea and its many aspects and resources, from security to natural gas and trade, become more important to Israel, it is worth remembering the host of ancient treasures and historic relics that could be lurking within its watery depths.

By Aaron Reich.

[torahtot]

watching a video and it calls rabbi yehuda hanasi "rabbi judah the prince." this is inexplicably so funny to me and im peeing myself laughing

[keshetchai]

Wait I found...something. Maybe not the thing I remembered. Or I misremembered. But this talks about the shared uh...entity/judgement of body & soul:

Sanhedrin 91a/b

§ Apropos exchanges with prominent gentile leaders, the Gemara cites an exchange where Antoninos, the Roman emperor, said to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi:

"The body and the soul are able to exempt themselves from judgment for their sins. How so? The body says: The soul sinned, as from the day of my death when it departed from me, I am cast like a silent stone in the grave, and do not sin. And the soul says: The body sinned, as from the day that I departed from it, I am flying in the air like a bird, incapable of sin."

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to him: I will tell you a parable. To what is this matter comparable? It is comparable to a king of flesh and blood who had a fine orchard, and in it there were the fine first fruits of a fig tree, and he stationed two guards in the orchard, one lame, who was unable to walk, and one blind. Neither was capable of reaching the fruit on the trees in the orchard without the assistance of the other.

The lame person said to the blind person: I see fine first fruits of a fig tree in the orchard; come and place me upon your shoulders. I will guide you to the tree, and we will bring the figs to eat them.

The lame person rode upon the shoulders of the blind person and they brought the figs and ate them. Sometime later the owner of the orchard came to the orchard.

He said to the guards: The fine first fruits of a fig tree that were in the orchard, where are they?

The lame person said: Do I have any legs with which I would be able to walk and take the figs?

The blind person said: Do I have any eyes with which I would be able to see the way to the figs? What did the owner of the orchard do?

What did the owner of the orchard do? He placed the lame person upon the shoulders of the blind person just as they did when they stole the figs, and he judged them as one.

So too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, brings the soul on the day of judgment and casts it back into the body, as they were when they sinned, and He judges them as one, as it is stated:

“He calls to the heavens above and to the earth that He may judge His people” (Psalms 50:4). “He calls to the heavens above”; this is the soul, which is heavenly.

And to the earth that He may judge His people”; this is the body, which is earthly.

However I did find this somewhat related discussion on the "shoteh" and psychosis/psychotic states that suggests maybe this isn't totally clear cut in regards to like, mitzvot obligations. So maybe again, I'm totally wrong about the body/mind responsibility thing, or at least, in terms of a psychotic episode, which would be very different from awareness of an alter fronting or co-piloting.

[...] they are lav benei da'at (lacking understanding).8 Thus, the shoteh is deemed lacking the critical judgment necessary for basic tasks of daily living and social adaptation, and the ability to assess a situation correctly and to act appropriately. As such, a shoteh is exempt from mitsvot.9 This includes positive commandments as well as negative ones, any transgression of which would be adjudged ones (performed under duress).10

[...]

Interestingly, it should be noted that while a shoteh is exempt from mitsvot when he is psychotic, once he remits from this state he again becomes obligated. For example, as stated by Rambam and more recently by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, a shoteh in remission is obligated to eat matsa for a second time had he eaten the first amount in a psychotic condition, a state in which he is patur (exempt) from the mitsva. Once he is no longer in a psychotic state and is able to understand, he is hayyav be-mitsvot (obligated) and he must repeat the act even if he had performed it while psychotic.16

While it may be argued that the shoteh's exemption from the obligation of mitsvot contains an element of discrimination, one can also view this halakhic paradigm as demonstrating acute sensitivity. The functionally impaired shoteh is not unnecessarily burdened by obligations that in essence either add a further stress to an already challenged psychological state of mind, potentially exacerbating the clinical picture, or impede recovery from a current disabling psychotic illness.

https://www.daat.ac.il/daat/kitveyet/assia_english/strous-1.htm

So in the above example the person with alters who is aware of their system uh ...existing and can interact with themselves like that, I think is arguably not "lacking understanding" of themselves/reality around them, whereas a person experiencing a psychotic episode might be.

Which suggests the system is probably still obligated to perform mitzvot in the specific scenario here, but it doesn't suggest the body is separate from the mind in any meaningful way wrt to communal response.

hypothetical Jumblr question for anyone who might know of an answer to this or at least like, an argument that someone had about this or a time it was brought up

so you know how you're supposed to say brachot and certain prayers out loud so that someone can say amen and be sort of like a witness to it

would it count if someone with DID said the bracha in their head in a way where an alter could say amen, like while co-fronting or something

[girlactionfigure]

15 Kislev - R’ Yehuda HaNasi - 217

On this day in the year 217 R’ Yehudah HaNasi passed away.  R’ Yehudah HaNasi was born in 135, and became known simply as Rebi.  According to Jewish Tradition, he was born on the same day R’ Akiva was martyred in the aftermath of the Bar Kochba revolt.  He was born in and lived his whole life in Israel, but it was an Israel under Roman rule.  The temple had been in ruins for over 60 years, and the hopes of the Bar Kochba revolts had passed.  It was clear that the Roman exile was going to be a long one.

R’ Yehuda was appointed to the position of Nasi in 165.  The Nasi was both the head of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, and a descendant of King David.  So, the Nasi was considered the heir apparent if the Jews were to regain their independence.  But, that didn’t look likely.  Understanding the predicament of the Jewish people,  Rebi began his magnum opus, the Mishna. When the Torah was given on Sinai, it was written down by Moses, hence the 5 Books of Moses.  The five books are incomprehensible on their own, and even the most diligent student cannot figure out what's expected of them to do by reading it.  The elaboration, or Oral Torah, was also given to Moses on Sinai and transmitted orally as long as the Jewish people were living in Israel. Now that the Jewish people were entering exile, Rebbi Yudah HaNasi felt the time had come to write down the oral law.  The Mishna was the first step in that process.

Rabbi Pinchas L. Landis

[rabbiaharon]

From Scripture to Talmud - a brief recapitulation of the history of the Oral Tradition

This post is a modest start for anyone who wants to understand the process by which Jewish law is handed down. Furthermore I am leaving this here to dispel the unfortunate misconception that we were given scripture, then a huge break from Torah, then Mishnah/Talmud (and then another huge break until today). The Mesorah - handing down of the tradition - is an unbroken chain from Sinai until today. Let’s begin with Pirkei Avos, a simple, up-front source for this stuff: 

משֶׁה קִבֵּל תּוֹרָה מִסִּינַי, וּמְסָרָהּ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לִזְקֵנִים, וּזְקֵנִים לִנְבִיאִים, וּנְבִיאִים מְסָרוּהָ לְאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הֵם אָמְרוּ שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים, הֱווּ מְתוּנִים בַּדִּין, וְהַעֲמִידוּ תַלְמִידִים הַרְבֵּה, וַעֲשׂוּ סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה:

אבות א:א

Moshe received the torah at Sinai and transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, and the elders to the prophets, and the prophets to the Men of the Great Assembly. They said three things: Be patient in [the administration of] justice, raise many disciples and make a fence round the Torah.

Pirkei Avos Chapter 1, Mishnah 1.

The time which passed from the giving of the Torah (the year 2448AM) until the building of the second temple (3410AM) was 962 years, during which there was a halachically undisputed leader of the Jewish people who was responsible for guiding them and teaching the oral Torah, the Rambam (Maimonides) lists the order of transmission in much more detail in his preface to his magnum opus, the Mishnah Torah.

רבי יהודה בר נחמני מתורגמניה דרבי שמעון בן לקיש כתיב (שמות לד, כז) כתוב לך את הדברים האלה וכתיב (שמות לד, כז) כי ע"פ הדברים האלה הא כיצד דברים שבכתב אי אתה רשאי לאומרן על פה דברים שבעל פה אי אתה רשאי לאומרן בכתב

גיטין ד’’ס ע’’ב

Rabbi Yehuda bar Naḥmani, the translator for Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, expounded as follows: It is written: “Write you these matters” (Exodus 34:27), and it is written later in that same verse: “For on the basis of [al pi] these matters.” How can these texts be reconciled? They mean to teach: Matters that were written you may not express them orally [al peh], and matters that were taught orally you may not express them in writing. The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: The word “these” in the mitzva recorded in the verse “Write you these matters” is used here in an emphatic sense: These matters, i.e., those recorded in the Written Law, you may write, but you may not write halakhot, i.e., the mishnayot and the rest of the Oral Law. 

--Gittin 60b

So... if there is an injunction not to write down the Oral Tradition. How did we get to the mishnah, the talmud... and for that matter all the incredible breadth (read: literally millions of volumes of explanations, expounding, or written law of any sort) that we have now. Warning: The english translation will be imprecise, because in comparison to mishnaic hebrew, english is un-elegant, inefficient, un-contextual, and a lot of other in-’s and -un’s. For those who can understand the mishnaic hebrew text, you’ll understand why.

זמן בית שני היה נחלק לשתי תקופות בכלל. הא' היא זמן אנשי כנסת הגדולה, והשני’, זמן הזוגות. האנשי כנסת הגדולה (ובתוכם מרדכי היהודי, עזרא הסופר, ירמיהו הנביא, נחמיה וכמה עד שניזכרו במקרא) הם סוף זמן המקרא, ותחילת זמן המשנה, והם גזרו כמה וכמה גזירות לחזק את ישראל בעבודת אלקים חיים ב'’ה. ושמעון הצדיק היה משירי אנשי כנסת הגדולה כמ'’ש במס' אבות. בתקופה השני’ היה המסורה נמסרה בעיקר ע'’י שני גדולי הדו�� – נשיא ואב בית דין, ובית דינם. ושירי הזוגות הם הלל ושמאי. ואחר הלל, שמעון בנו היה הנשיא, ורבן יוחנן בן זכאי האב בית דין… ותלמידיו ,ותלמידי תלמידיו נחשבו גוף התנאים שבמשנה. בתחילת גלות רומי (בשנת 3829 ליצירה) החריבה את בתינו ושרפה את היכלינו והגליתנו מארצנו, ומכאן ואילך נעשו הצרות כפולות ומכופלות ונתחדשו גזירות קשות בכל שנה ושנה עד נשיאיות רבינו הקדוש, הוא רבי יהודא הנשיא ונתן לו הקב'’ה חן בעיני אנטונינוס מלך רומי ונחו מצרות וימצא חן וחסד וכבוד בעיניו והרביץ התורה לרבים (זה לשון ספר הליכות עולם). וראה רבינו בחכמתו שהגיע זמן לחבר ספר בתורה שבעל פה פן ישכח המסורה מתוך עם ישראל מפני הירידה לגלות ח’’ו. וקבץ בעלי שמועה ובעלי משנה מכל קצוות הארץ ואמר כל אחד ואחד שמועתו כמו שנשמעה תלמיד מפי רבו עד משה רבינו עליו השלום. ובחר רבינו המובחר משש מאות סדרי משנה שהיה בזמן ההוא וחבר ששה סדרי המשנה בס'’ג מסכתות בקיצור נמרץ, מעט בכמות, ומרובה באיכות וסמכו הוא ובית דינו על המקרא שכתוב עת לעשות לה’ הפרו תורתיך. ועכ'’ז נגנזו בו כל התורה וסודותיה. וכתוב בסדר הדורות שזה היה בערך לשנת 3948 

The time of the second temple was divided into 2 eras. The first was the era of the Men of the Great Assembly, and the second was referred to as the era of the Pairs. The Men of the Great Assembly (and among them Mordechai, Ezra, Yirmiyahu, Nechemiah, and many more who are mentioned in Scripture) represented the end of scripture, and the beginning of the time of the Mishnah, and they made many decrees to strengthen the Jewish people in their service of the Living G-d. Shimon the Righteous was among the last of the Men of the Great Assembly, as is written in Pirkei Avos. 

In the second era the tradition was guarded and disseminated mainly by 2 great leaders working in tandem - the first one the Nasi (leader typically descended from King David) and the second the Av Beis Din (head of the court) aided by their court. The last of the Pairs was Hillel and Shammai, and after them, Hillel’s son Shimon served as the Nasi, and Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai as the Av Beis Din. Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai, his students, and his students’ students became the main sages of the Mishnah. In the year 3830, the Romans destroyed our Holy House, burned our Palace, and sent us into exile from our land. From then on, the suffering was doubled and quadrupled, with new, harsher decrees against the jewish people every year until the generation of Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi. G-d granted him grace and respect in the eyes of Antoninus, the emperor of Rome, and the decrees were relaxed. Students came back to the study houses to learn, and the Oral Torah spread out to the masses.

Rebbi Yehuda saw with his wisdom that it had come time to assemble a book of the Oral Tradition, lest it be forgotten from the Jewish people in the midst of the descent into Exile. Thus he gathered sages from as far north as Germany, as far West as Spain, as Far South as Ethiopia, and as far East as India, and each one repeated their learning tradition as they had received it, teacher to student, going back to Moshe, our teacher, peace be upon him. Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi picked the choicest of the mishnayot from the 600 orders of mishnah that were at that time, and assembled them into the 6 orders of mishnah, comprised of 63 tractates in brief - words few in quantity, but great in quality - in the 6 orders of mishnah, he concealed the entire oral tradition and all of its secrets. It’s written in Seder Hadoros (historical text) that the assembly of the mishnah was around the year 3948AM, 1500 years after the exodus from Egypt.

ואלו הן הס'’ג מסכתות של משנה לפי סדרם

A list of the 63 tractates of Mishnah divided into 6 “orders”: 

Zeraim, dealing with agricultural laws and blessings.

Berachos, Peah, Demai, Kilayim, Shvi’is, Terumos, Ma’asros, Ma’aser Sheni, Orlah, Challah, Bikkurim

Mo’ed, dealing with the holidays and their customs

Shabbos, Eiruvin, Pesachim, Shekalim, Yoma, Sukkah, Beitzah Rosh Hashanah, Ta’anis, Megillah, Moeh Katan, and Chagigah

Nashim, dealing with the laws of marriage, vows, and divorce

Yevamos, Kiddushin, Kesubos, Nedarim, Nazir, Sotah, and Gittin

Nezikin, dealing with civil law, criminal law, and damages

Baba Kamma, Baba Metziah, Baba Basra, Sanhedrin, Makkos,  Shevuos, Eidius, Horius, Avodah Zarah, and Avos

Kodashim, dealing with the temple and sacrifices

Zevachim, Menachos, Chullin, Bechoros, Erchin, Temurah, Kerisos, Me’ilah, Kinnim, Tamid, and Middos

Taharos, dealing with the laws of ritual purity and impurity

Keilim, Ohelos, Negayim, Para, Taharos, Mikvaos, Niddah, Makshirin, Zavim, T’vul Yom, Yaddayim, and Uktzin

לפי דעת בעל ספר הליכות עולם: מרבי יוחנן בן זכאי לרבינו הקודש חמש דורות ואלו הם: הדור הראשון רבי יוחנן בן זכאי בעצמו וחבריו,  הדור השני, רבי אליעזר בן הורקנוס, רבי אלעזר בן ערך, רבי יהושע בן חנניה, רבי יוסי הכהן והרבה זולתם  הדור השלישי, רבי עקיבא, רבי טרפון, רבן גמליאל, רבי אלעזר בן עזריה, רבי אלעזר בן שמוע וחבריהם, הדור הרביעי, רבי שעמון בן יוחי (מחבר הזהר הקדש), רבי יהודא , רבי מאיר, רבי יוסי בן חלפתא, רבי נחמיה, וחבריהם. הדור החמישי רבינו הקדוש, רבי נתן, רבי ישמעאל בנו של רבי יוסי, וחבריהם, והם סוף התנאים שבמשנה ע''כ.

According to Sefer Halichos Olam: The time between Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai until Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi spanned 5 generations. In the first generation, Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai and his colleagues. The Second Generation: Rebbi Eliezer ben Horkenus, Rebbi Elazar ben Arach, Rebbi Yehoshuah Ben Chananya, Rebbi Yossi HaKohen, and many others like them. The Third generation included Rebbe Akiva, Rebbi Tarfon, Rabban Gamliel, Rebbi Elazar ben Azarya, Rebbi Elazar ben Shamuah and their colleagues. The fourth generation included Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai (who assembled the Holy Zohar), Rebbi Yehuda bar Ilai, Rebbi Meir, Rebbi Yossi ben Chalafta, Rebbi Nechemiah, and their colleagues. The fifth generation included Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi, Rebbi Nasan, Rebbi Yishmael the son of Rebbi Yossi, and their colleagues - and they were the last generation of the sages of the Mishnah. 

ואחר חיבור המשנה נתבלבלה דעת הלומדים, ולא נמצא אלא מעט התלמידים היכולים לדייק כל התורה ממשנה בלבד, ונצטרכו להכניס ברייתות, מלשון כלפי בר, שנקרא כן מפני שנשתיירו חוץ למשנה. וחברו תלמידי רבינו – רבי הושעיא ורבי חייא – ספר התוספתא שהם ברייתות חזקות ואלמות כמשנה. וחברו רבי הושעיא ותלמידיו המדרש רבה להאיר המסורה וסודותיה בקו הנסתר באגדת התורה, ביין ובשמן כמ'’ש ואספת דגנך ותירושך ויצהרך. וחבר רב (י'’א שהוא רבי אבא דירושלמי, והוא תלמידו של רבי) ותלמידיו את הספרא כנגד ספ' ויקרא, וספרי כנגד במדבר ודברים ,שהם מדרשי הלכות. וחבר רבי יוחנן האמורא ותלמידיו את התלמוד ירושלמי, להאיר המשא ומתן שבמשנה ולבון הילכתא.

In the years after the assembly of the Mishnah, as a result of the descent into exile, the torah students began to lose the ability to learn the oral tradition properly - there were only a select few who knew how to divine all the secrets of the Torah from the few words of the Mishnah. Therefore they required the additional detail of Mishnaic statements left out of the 6 Orders of Mishnah, called Baraisos (Which means “outside”) because they were left out of the Mishnah. The students of Rebbi Yehudah HaNasi-  Rebbi Hoshiya and Rebbi Chiya - assembled the Tosefta from those Baraisos: The Tosefta, edited and published so soon after the mishnah, is considered highly accurate, and when compared in talmud has strength similar to Mishnah. Rebbi Hoshiya and his students then assembled the Midrash Rabbah to illuminate the traditions and their secrets within the stories of the torah, with “wine and oil”, as it is written “And you will gather your grain, your wine and your oil”. Rav (many say he was also known as Rebbi Aba in the Jerusalem Talmud - also a students of Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi) and his students assembled the baraisos of Sifra on Sefer Vayikra and the Sifri on Bamidbar and Devarim - Sifra and Sifri are midrashei halacha (sections of law derived directly from verses in Torah). Rebbi Yochanan the Amora and his students assembled the Jerusalem Talmud to illuminate and elucidate the discussions behind the Mishnah.

 וכתוב בספר הליכות עולם: אלו הם חכמי הגמרא לדרותם. הדור הראשון, רבי חייא, ורבי הושעיא, ולוי, ובר קפרא, רבים זולתם (והם נקראים בכמה מקומות 'דור המעבר' שהם ממעצים בין תנאים לאמוראים), הדור השני רבי יוחנן, ריש לקיש, [רב, וי'’א שהוא רבי אבא דירושלמי, ושמואל], וחכמי דורם. הדור השלישי רב הונא ורב יהודא, ורב נחמן, ורב אסי, ועולא ואנשי דורם, הדור הרביעי רב חסדא ורבה בר נחמני ��רב יוסף,  ורב ששת וזולתם. הדור החמישי אביי ורבא וזולתם הרבה. הדור הששי רב פפא ורב פפי ורב הונא בריה דרב יהושע ורב יימר ורב זביד ואנשי דורם, הדור השביעי רב כהנא ורפרם בר פפא ואמימר ומר זוטרא ורב אשי . ורבינא, והם סוף הוראה עד כאן לשון הליכות עולם. חיבור הגמרא היה בערך לשנת 4250, ומכאן  ועד 4300 היה זמן הרבנן סבראי כגון רב אחאי ורב יהודאי.

It’s written in Sefer Halichos Olam: These are the leaders of the generations of the Gemara. The first generation, Rebbi Chiya, Rebbi Hoshiya, Levi, Bar Kappara, and many like them (as they are called in many places, the “transition generation”, as they represent the transition between Tannayim of the Mishnah and Amorayim of the Gemara). The second generation Rebbi Yochanan, Reish Lakish, Rav, and Shmuel, and the others of their generation. The third generation, Rav Huna, Rebbi Yehuda Nesiah, Rebbi Nachman, Rav Assi, Ullah, and the others of their generation. The fourth generation, Rev Chisda, Rabbah bar Nachmeini, Rav Yosef, Rav Sheishes, and their peers. The fifth generation, Abaye, Rava and many others. The Sixth generation, Rav Pappi, Rav Pappa, Ameimar, Mar Zutra, Rav Ashi, and Ravina. They represented the end of the time of the gemara, which was written down around the year 4250 on the hebrew calendar to preserve the discussions and elucidations on the mishnah lest they be forgotten. From then until around the year 4300 was the time of the Rabbanan Savrai, like Rav Achai and Rav Yehudai - who added a few final sections to the Gemara before sealing it.

ועמדו אחריהם הגאונים, כגון רב סעדיא גאון, רב שרירא,  ורב האי גאון והרבה זולתם, שהם נשיאים  התמימים עד עמוד הראשונים בשנת 4800, דמשמת רב האי גאון, נולד רש'’י, הראשון שבראשונים. והם הם עמודי הלכה. ובתוכם – רש'’י, הרמב'’ם, הרמב'’ן, הר'’ף, הר'’ן, הר'’י, רבינו תם, המהר'’ם, מרדכי, והרבה זולתם והרא'’ש הוא האחרון שבהם, וחיבור בנו את הטור, שקבץ סברות הראשונים במקום אחד וסדר אותם לעין כל. 

After them arose the Geonium, like Rav Sa’adya Gaon and Rav Sherira, Rav Hai Gaon, and many others. They were the the pure and holy leaders of the jewish people until the beginning of the era of the Rishonim (firsts) in the year 4800 - as the last of the Geonim (Rav Hai Gaon) passed away, Rashi (known as the first of the Rishonim) was born - and they represented pillars of halacha, and among them: Rashi, the Rambam, the Ramban, The Rif, The Ran, the Ri, Rabbeinu Tam, the Maharam, the Mordechai, and many like them. The Rosh as the last of them, and his son, the Tur, gathered the rulings of the Rishonim into one place and arranged them for all to see.

ואחריו עמדו שני מאירי עולם, רב יוסף קארו (הבית יוסף) ואת רב משה איסרליש (רמ'’א) . ונתן הקב'’ה  בליבם לבאר דברי הטור בבאר היטב, ואחר כך לסדר ההלכה למעשה לעם ישראל, הוא השולחן ערוך שהוא עומד וקיים לעד אפילו לאחרי ביאת המשיח ותחיית המתים. 

And after them arose 2 illuminators of the world, Rav Yosef Karo (the Beis Yosef) and Rav Moshe Isserles (the Ramah). The Holy One Blessed be He placed upon their hearts to explain the words of the Tur in great breadth, and afterwards to arrange and publish the practical laws for the Jewish People. This is the Shulchan Aruch, which will stand and sustain until even after the Moshiach comes and the dead are resurrected.

והטור ושולחן ערוך נחלק לארבע חלקים, ובתוכם הלכות לאין קץ מסודרים בסימנים ופרקים שונים, ואלו הם

The Tur and Shulchan Aruch are divided into 4 sections, and within them many laws with no end, arranged according to their sections and different chapters.

[judaic-myth-n-mysticism]

Rituals and Segula of the Talmud, Part 5:

Today’s verse actually may be one of the most helpful incantations and rituals mentioned in the Talmud, that being one to sober up! This ritual appears in Shabbat 66b:14 where Rav Huns tells of his method to sober up his fellow rabbis when they were getting ready to leave. The verse offers two options to accomplish this effect, each with its own symbolic incantation.

• NOTE: This trick is not a substitute for responsible drinking, and even less one for sobering up so you can drive. Don’t be dumb!

"As in this case of Rav Huna, who departed from the house of Rav, and Rav, who departed from the house of Rabbi Ḥiyya, and Rabbi Ḥiyya, who departed from the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, when they were drunk, the rabbi would bring oil and salt and rub them on the palms of their hands and the soles of their feet and say: Just as this oil is clear, so let the wine of so-and-so, son of so-and-so, his mother, become clear. In other words, let them become sober. And if he could not bring oil and salt, or if they did not work, he would bring the sealing clay of a barrel and soak it in water and say: Just as this sealing clay is clear, so let the wine of so-and-so, son of so-and-so, become clear." (Shabbat 66b:14)

[dadyomi]

Thursday 12/15, Nedarim 51: Basket Case

I’m not sure I entirely follow the moral of the story, but I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be mad at bar Kappara, and I enjoyed reading about him putting a basket on his head to make Rabbi Yehuda laugh, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

[archaeologicalnews]

Unique Byzantine-era wine presses unearthed

Two subterranean Byzantine period wine presses were discovered in recent excavations at Tzippori National Park. Unearthed inside a massive five-arched water cistern about 200 meters outside of town, they are the only wine presses that have been documented to date that were built inside a covered water reservoir.

Tzippori was home to a flourishing mixed pagan, Christian and Jewish community during the 4th-7th centuries CE. In the third century CE, it was the seat of Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, aka Judah the Prince, where he began compiling the Mishnah. There is no iconography on the wine presses and, according to National Parks Authority archaeologist Dr. Zvika Tzuk, in such a heterogeneous society, it would be impossible to know who made the wine at these two presses. Read more.

[teachings2023]

Rav Nathan Tvsi Finkel

Le 21.2.2023

"A PARTIR DE MAINTENANT, PREND L'HABITUDE D'INTERROGER ET D'ECOUTER LES GRANDS TZADIKIMS, NOUS. ILS TE DIRONT DIRECTEMENT CE QUE TU DOIS SAVOIR, CE QUE HASHEM VEUT QUE TU SACHES. BARUK HASHEM." 📜🕎 🇮🇱

Les 20 tzadikims importants dans le judaisme sont:

Rabbi Akiba,

Akiva ben Yosef (Mishnaic Hebrew: עֲקִיבָא בֶּן יוֹסֵף‎ ʿĂqīvāʾ ben Yōsēf; c. 50 – 28 September 135 CE),[1] also known as Rabbi Akiva (רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא‎), was a leading Jewish scholar and sage, a tanna of the latter part of the first century and the beginning of the second century. Rabbi Akiva was a leading contributor to the Mishnah and to Midrash halakha. He is referred to in the Talmud as Rosh la-Hakhamim "Chief of the Sages". He was executed by the Romans in the aftermath of the Bar Kokhba revolt.

Rabbi Ishmael,

Rabbi Ishmael or Ishmael ben Elisha, meaning: Ismael son of Elisha, (90-135 CE [1], Hebrew: ) was a Rabbinic sage from the third tannaitic generation [1]. He was descended from a priestly family and the legends refer to him as High Priest although he lived after the destruction of the Second Temple [2]. He is generally referred to simply as Rabbi Ishmael [3]. As a young child, Ishmael, whose parentage is not known but who traced his lineage through a high priestly line [3], was known for his wisdom and was seen as a prodigy. He was one of the most prominent Tannaim (the great Sages of the Mishnah) and was a central figure in the development of rabbinic Judaism [4]. His teachings and commentaries on the Torah and Mishnah are recorded in the works of Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael and Sifrei. He is also credited with originating the concept of Midrash, which is a method of interpreting scripture through narrative and allegory.

Rabbi Judah ben Ilai, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, Rabbi Abbahu, Rabbi Simeon ben Gamliel, Rabbi Yose HaGelili, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, Rabbi Hillel, Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa, Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri, Rabbi Abba Arikha, Rabbi Yehuda HeChassid, Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai, Rabbi Isaac Luria, et Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. Ces tzadikims sont connus pour leur sagesse, leur savoir et leur influence sur le judaïsme et les écritures bibliques à travers les âges.

[jewishbookworld]

The Prince and the Emperors: The Life and Times of Rabbi Judah the Prince by Dov Zakheim

The Prince and the Emperors: The Life and Times of Rabbi Judah the Prince by Dov Zakheim

A biographical account of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi (Rabbi Judah the Prince), also known as Rebbe, and the human and historical context that shaped the Mishna and Gemara. Drawing upon both Jewish and Roman sources, it provides a portrait of this important rabbinic sage, as well as insight into the Jewish encounter with Rome.

[virtual-beit-midrash]

Hashavat Aveida Study Session #3

We will start with the Mishna in order to learn the basic ideas in an orderly manner, but keep on eye on other sources for more explanations/ideas/opinions.

Mishna Intro

The Mishna is a compilation of oral traditions, which was compiled at the beginning of the 3rd century by Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi (Rabbi Judah the Prince).

It is the first work of its kind that organized Halacha based on topic, and not according to Torah verses.   However, since it was an oral work, in some cases it segues into non-related-but-similar issues.  For example, if it lists 5 things that need to be done on day X, it might continue with more "lists of 5″.

The Mishna is organized into six “orders”.  Our topic is under the order of “Nezikim” (damages), which deals with civil and criminal law, as well as court proceedings.

Every order is divided into tractates.  The ‘civil law’ tractate was so large it was divided into three tractates “First Gate” (Bava Kama), “Middle Gate” (Bava Metzia) and “Last Gate” (Bava Batra).

The laws of Hashavat Aveida are in the first two chapters of the tractate of Bava Metzia.

Chapter 1, Mishna 1

Two are holding a garment. One says, "I found it," and the other says, "I found it." [If] one says, "all of it is mine" and the other says, "all of it is mine." This one shall swear that he owns no less than half of it, and this one shall swear that he owns no less than half of it, and they shall divide it [between them.] [If] one says, "all of it is mine" and the other says "half of it is mine." The one who says "all of it is mine" shall swear that he owns no less than three quarters of it; and the one who says "half of it is mine" shall swear that he owns no less than one quarter of it. He [the former] takes three quarters and he [the latter] takes one quarter.

Note that the Mishna jumps into a case of two people arguing over ownership of a find.  In Halacha, one gets ownership over an object by picking it up.

“Two are holding a garment.  One says, "I found it," and the other says, "I found it." ”.

Surprisingly, this precedes the orderly discussion of what constitutes a find and who is obligated to return it.   Why?

The Talmud and later commentators understand this mishna to relate to any case of argument over ownership, such as two people who think they both bought something.  

The mishna discusses two cases.

In the first case, both finders claim full ownership and so they split it equally:

[If] one says, "all of it is mine" and the other says, "all of it is mine." This one shall swear that he owns no less than half of it, and this one shall swear that he owns no less than half of it, and they shall divide it [between them.] 

In the second case, one finder claims full ownership while the other claims partial ownership, and so they split it unequally:

[If] one says, "all of it is mine" and the other says "half of it is mine." The one who says "all of it is mine" shall swear that he owns no less than three quarters of it; and the one who says "half of it is mine" shall swear that he owns no less than one quarter of it. He [the former] takes three quarters and he [the latter] takes one quarter.

What do you think?