Rabbah bar bar Hana
Encyclopedia
Rabbah bar bar Hana was a Jewish
Talmud
ist who lived in Babylonia
, known as an Amora
of the second generation. He was the grandson of Hana and the brother of Hiyya. He went to Palestine and became a pupil of Rav Yochanan
, whose sayings he transmitted. Rabbah Bar Bar Hana is especially well known for a collection of aggadic
stories about him recorded in the Babylonian Talmud
in the fifth chapter of Bava Batra
.
Rabbah bar bar Hana (Rabbah bar Rabbah bar Hana) does not seem to have enjoyed high regard in his adopted country, for it was taken as a matter of course that Rav Shimon ben Lakish should not do him the honor of addressing him in public. After a somewhat prolonged sojourn in Palestine he returned to Babylonia, residing both at Pumbedita
and at Sura
. In the former city he at first refused to attend the lectures of Rav Judah ben Ezekiel
, but he soon became his friend, and was consulted by him in difficult cases. Judah and his pupil Rabbah b. Naḥmani once visited Rabbah, who was ill, and submitted a halakhic
question to him. While they were there a Zoroastrian
priest ("geber") suddenly appeared and extinguished the lamp, the day being a festival of Ormuzd, on which Jews were forbidden to have fire in their houses. Rabbah thereupon sorrowfully exclaimed: "O God, let us live either under Thy protection, or at least under the protection of the children of Esau [the Romans]".
The persecutions of the Babylonian Jews by the Sassanids caused Rabbah to resolve to return to Palestine, although it is nowhere said that he carried out that intention. During his residence at Sura he wished to introduce the recitation of the Ten Commandments
into the daily prayer, but was dissuaded by Rav Chisda
. Later he visited Maḥoza, and he tells of the wonderful feats he saw performed there by a juggler.
to fire, in that as fire does not start of itself neither does the Law endure in solitary study. His interpretations of and also are noteworthy; his saying that "the soul of one pious man is worth the whole world" is especially memorable.
Rabbah bar bar Hana's stories of his marvelous experiences during his voyages and his journeys through the desert have become famous. These accounts may be divided into two classes. In the first he records his observations, generally beginning with the words "I have seen." Among these are his remarks regarding the identity of the most fertile part of Palestine—"the land flowing with milk and honey"; the distance between Jericho and Jerusalem; the area of the district in the plains of Moab mentioned in as the camp of the children of Israel; the castor-oil plant cultivated in Palestine, or the gourd of Jonah. Here also belong his accounts of his relations with the Arabs, one of whom once used a term that explained to him the word in .
Rabbah's stories of his adventures on the sea resemble tales of other navigators concerning the immense size of various marine animals. As an example the following one may be cited: "Once, while on a ship, we came to a gigantic fish at rest, which we supposed to be an island, since there was sand on its back, in which grass was growing. We therefore landed, made a fire, and cooked our meal. But when the fish felt the heat he rolled over, and we would have drowned had not the ship been near". Here the resemblance to the later voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
is obvious. Rabbah himself tells how his tales were received. In regard to two of them his colleagues remarked, "All Rabbahs are asses and all bar bar Hanas fools". Rabbah's stories have called forth an entire literature; in addition to the numerous commentaries on the aggadah
ic portions of the Talmud that dwell by preference on these accounts, more than twenty essays interpreting and annotating them have appeared in various periodicals.
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ist who lived in Babylonia
Babylonia
Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia , with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as a major power when Hammurabi Babylonia was an ancient cultural region in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq), with Babylon as its capital. Babylonia emerged as...
, known as an Amora
Amora
Amoraim , were renowned Jewish scholars who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the Oral law, from about 200 to 500 CE in Babylonia and the Land of Israel. Their legal discussions and debates were eventually codified in the Gemara...
of the second generation. He was the grandson of Hana and the brother of Hiyya. He went to Palestine and became a pupil of Rav Yochanan
Yochanan bar Nafcha
Rabbi Yochanan ;...
, whose sayings he transmitted. Rabbah Bar Bar Hana is especially well known for a collection of aggadic
Aggadah
Aggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...
stories about him recorded in the Babylonian Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
in the fifth chapter of Bava Batra
Bava Batra
Bava Batra is the third of the three tractates in the Talmud in the order Nezikin; it deals with a person's responsibilities and rights as the owner of property. It is part of Judaism's oral law...
.
Rabbah bar bar Hana (Rabbah bar Rabbah bar Hana) does not seem to have enjoyed high regard in his adopted country, for it was taken as a matter of course that Rav Shimon ben Lakish should not do him the honor of addressing him in public. After a somewhat prolonged sojourn in Palestine he returned to Babylonia, residing both at Pumbedita
Pumbedita
Pumbedita was the name of a city in ancient Babylonia close to the modern-day city of Fallujah....
and at Sura
Sura (city)
Sura was a city in the southern part of ancient Babylonia, located west of the Euphrates River. It was well-known for its agricultural produce, which included grapes, wheat, and barley...
. In the former city he at first refused to attend the lectures of Rav Judah ben Ezekiel
Judah ben Ezekiel
Judah ben Ezekiel , was a Babylonian amora of the 2nd generation. He was the most prominent disciple of Rav , in whose house he often stayed, and whose son Hiyya was his pupil...
, but he soon became his friend, and was consulted by him in difficult cases. Judah and his pupil Rabbah b. Naḥmani once visited Rabbah, who was ill, and submitted a halakhic
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
question to him. While they were there a Zoroastrian
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...
priest ("geber") suddenly appeared and extinguished the lamp, the day being a festival of Ormuzd, on which Jews were forbidden to have fire in their houses. Rabbah thereupon sorrowfully exclaimed: "O God, let us live either under Thy protection, or at least under the protection of the children of Esau [the Romans]".
The persecutions of the Babylonian Jews by the Sassanids caused Rabbah to resolve to return to Palestine, although it is nowhere said that he carried out that intention. During his residence at Sura he wished to introduce the recitation of the Ten Commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
into the daily prayer, but was dissuaded by Rav Chisda
Rav Chisda
Rav Chisda was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the third generation , mentioned frequently in the Talmud.-Youth:...
. Later he visited Maḥoza, and he tells of the wonderful feats he saw performed there by a juggler.
Haggadic Aphorisms
Some haggadic sayings by Rabbah bar bar Hana have been preserved. Citing , he compares the TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
to fire, in that as fire does not start of itself neither does the Law endure in solitary study. His interpretations of and also are noteworthy; his saying that "the soul of one pious man is worth the whole world" is especially memorable.
Rabbah bar bar Hana's stories of his marvelous experiences during his voyages and his journeys through the desert have become famous. These accounts may be divided into two classes. In the first he records his observations, generally beginning with the words "I have seen." Among these are his remarks regarding the identity of the most fertile part of Palestine—"the land flowing with milk and honey"; the distance between Jericho and Jerusalem; the area of the district in the plains of Moab mentioned in as the camp of the children of Israel; the castor-oil plant cultivated in Palestine, or the gourd of Jonah. Here also belong his accounts of his relations with the Arabs, one of whom once used a term that explained to him the word in .
Fantastic Adventures
The other group of the narratives of Rabbah bar bar Hana includes his fantastic adventures on the sea and in the desert. In these stories one of the most conspicuous figures is the Arab who was the guide of Rabbah and his companions on their journey through the desert. This Arab knew the route so well that he could tell from the odor of the sand when a spring was near. The travelers passed through the desert in which the children of Israel wandered for forty years, and the Arab showed Mount Sinai to Rabbah, who heard the voice of God speaking from the mountain and regretting Israel's exile. The Arab likewise pointed out the place where Korah and his followers had been swallowed by the earth, and from the smoking abyss Rabbah heard the words, "Moses is truth and his teachings are truth, but we are liars". He was shown the gigantic bodies of the Israelites who had died in the desert, lying face upward, and the place where heaven and earth almost touched, so that he could watch the rotation of the heavenly spheres around the earth in twenty-four hours.Rabbah's stories of his adventures on the sea resemble tales of other navigators concerning the immense size of various marine animals. As an example the following one may be cited: "Once, while on a ship, we came to a gigantic fish at rest, which we supposed to be an island, since there was sand on its back, in which grass was growing. We therefore landed, made a fire, and cooked our meal. But when the fish felt the heat he rolled over, and we would have drowned had not the ship been near". Here the resemblance to the later voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor is a fictional sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid Caliphate – the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin...
is obvious. Rabbah himself tells how his tales were received. In regard to two of them his colleagues remarked, "All Rabbahs are asses and all bar bar Hanas fools". Rabbah's stories have called forth an entire literature; in addition to the numerous commentaries on the aggadah
Aggadah
Aggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...
ic portions of the Talmud that dwell by preference on these accounts, more than twenty essays interpreting and annotating them have appeared in various periodicals.
Further reading
- The Juggler and the King, Aharon Feldman, (Philipp Feldheim, 1991). ISBN 0-87306-557-3
External links
- Rabbah Bar Bar Hana article in the Jewish Encyclopedia