Samuel ben Nahman
Encyclopedia
Samuel ben Nahman or Samuel Nahmani was a rabbi
of the Talmud
, known as an amora
, who lived in the Land of Israel
from the beginning of the 3rd century until the beginning of the 4th century. He was a pupil of R. Jonathan ben Eleazar (Pes. 24a) and one of the most famous haggadists of his time (Yer. Ber.
12d; Midr. Teh. to Ps.
ix. 2). He was a native of the Land of Israel and may have known the patriarch Judah I (Gen R. ix.). It appears that he went to Babylon
in his youth but soon returned to Palestine (Sanh. 96b).
2d; Pes. 54b). As an old man he went to the court of Empress Zenobia
(267-273) to petition her to pardon an orphaned youth who had committed a grave political crime (Yer. Ter. 46b). In the days of Judah II
, Samuel ben NaḤman appears among the most intimate associates of the patriarch, with whom he went (286) to Tiberias at Diocletian
's order; later he joined the emperor at Paneas (Yer. Ter. ix., end; Gen. R. lxiii.).
In the school Samuel held a position of authority; to him is ascribed the rule that during the heat of the day instruction should be suspended (Lam. R. i. 3, end; Midr. Teh. to Ps.
xci. 6). On account of his fame as a haggadist questions were addressed to him by such authorities as the patriarch Judah II (Gen. R. xii., end), Simeon ben Jehozadak (Gen. R. iii., beginning; Lev. R. xxxi.; Pes. 145b; Midr. Teh. to Ps. civ.; Tan. to Wayaḳhel, beginning; Ex. R. l., beginning), Ammi
(Lev. R. xxxi., beginning; Lam. R. i. 13), Ḥanina ben Pappa
(Pes. 157a; Midr. Teh. to Ps. lxv.; Lam. R. iii. 45; Yer. Sheb. 35b), and Ḥelbo (B. B.
123a, b).
Among the transmitters of Samuel's sayings were Ḥelbo, the haggadist Levi, Abbahu
(Lev. R. xxxv., end; Yer. Ta'an. iii.), and Eleazar ben Pedaṭ
(Pes. 159b). Of Samuel's sons two are known by name—Naḥman and Hillel; sayings of both have been preserved (Gen. R. x., xxxii.; Midrash Tehillim
to Ps. lii.; Yer. Sheb. 36b; Yer. Ḳid. 61c; Eccl. R. i. 4; Midrash Shmuell xv., on Neh. viii. 17).
Samuel ben Naḥman's decisions and sayings concern the study of dogma (Yer. Peah 17a; Meg. 74d; Ḥag. 76d), prayer (Pes. 157a, b; Deut. R. ii.; Yer. Ber.
7a; Gen. R. lxviii.), and Sabbath regulations (Gen. R. xi., end; Pesiḳ. R. 23; Yer. Shab. 15a); the history of Israel and the nations and empires (Pes. 15b, 151b; Lev. R. ii., beginning, xxiv., end, xxix.; Num. R. ii., end; Yer. Sheb. 35b; Yer. Ab. Zarah 44b); the ordinances regarding proselytes (Cant. R. vi. 2; Yer. Ber. 5b, c); Scripture ('Ab. Zarah 25a; B. B.
15a; Gen. R. vi., end; Cant. R. i. 1, end), halakic exegesis (Yer. Sheḳ. 45d; Yer. Shab. 9b; Yer. Ḥal. 57b), and Biblical characters and narratives (B. B. 123a; 'Ab. Zarah 25a; Yer. Yeb. 9c; Yer. Ber.
4b; Tosef., Shab. vii., 25; Gen. R. xlii., xlix., lxii., xcviii.; Ex. R. xliii.; Lev. R. xi.; Pes. vi.; Eccl. R. vii. 1; Midr. Shemu'el xxiii.).
(Lam. R., Pref. 24, end). It is written in beautiful Hebrew prose, and is accompanied by dramatic dirges in Aramaic. Then follow the dirges of all the Patriarchs, which they intone when Moses for the second time has communicated to them the sad tidings. Finally, Moses himself chants a lament, addressed partly to the sun and partly to the enemy.
Other utterances of Samuel b. Naḥman's refer to homiletics (Gen. R. xiv., xx., xliii.; B. B. 123b; Ḥul. 91d; Shab. 113b), to God and the world (Gen. R. xxxiii.; Pes. 139a; 'Er. 22a; B. Ḳ. 5a, b), and to eschatology
(Gen. R. viii.; Midr. Teh. to Ps. lxxiii., end; Pes. 156b; Midr. Shemu'el xix.; Eccl. R. i. 8).
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
of the 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....
, 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...
, who lived in the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
from the beginning of the 3rd century until the beginning of the 4th century. He was a pupil of R. Jonathan ben Eleazar (Pes. 24a) and one of the most famous haggadists of his time (Yer. Ber.
Berakhot (Talmud)
Berachot is the first tractate of Seder Zeraim, a collection of the Mishnah that primarily deals with laws relating to plants and farming...
12d; Midr. Teh. to Ps.
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
ix. 2). He was a native of the Land of Israel and may have known the patriarch Judah I (Gen R. ix.). It appears that he went to Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
in his youth but soon returned to Palestine (Sanh. 96b).
Relations with Diocletian
Samuel ben Nahman seems to have gone to Babylon a second time in an official capacity in order to determine the intercalation of the year, which, for political reasons, could not be done in Palestine (Yer. Ber.Berakhot (Talmud)
Berachot is the first tractate of Seder Zeraim, a collection of the Mishnah that primarily deals with laws relating to plants and farming...
2d; Pes. 54b). As an old man he went to the court of Empress Zenobia
Zenobia
Zenobia was a 3rd-century Queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Roman Syria. She led a famous revolt against the Roman Empire. The second wife of King Septimius Odaenathus, Zenobia became queen of the Palmyrene Empire following Odaenathus' death in 267...
(267-273) to petition her to pardon an orphaned youth who had committed a grave political crime (Yer. Ter. 46b). In the days of Judah II
Judah II
Judah II or Nesi'ah I was a famous Jewish sage who lived in Tiberias in the Land of Israel, in the middle of the third century CE. He is mentioned in the classical works of Judaism's oral law, the Mishnah and Talmud....
, Samuel ben NaḤman appears among the most intimate associates of the patriarch, with whom he went (286) to Tiberias at Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
's order; later he joined the emperor at Paneas (Yer. Ter. ix., end; Gen. R. lxiii.).
In the school Samuel held a position of authority; to him is ascribed the rule that during the heat of the day instruction should be suspended (Lam. R. i. 3, end; Midr. Teh. to Ps.
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
xci. 6). On account of his fame as a haggadist questions were addressed to him by such authorities as the patriarch Judah II (Gen. R. xii., end), Simeon ben Jehozadak (Gen. R. iii., beginning; Lev. R. xxxi.; Pes. 145b; Midr. Teh. to Ps. civ.; Tan. to Wayaḳhel, beginning; Ex. R. l., beginning), Ammi
Rabbi Ammi
Ammi, Aimi, Immi is the name of several Jewish Talmudists, known as amoraim, who lived in the Land of Israel and Babylonia. In the Babylonian Talmud the first form only is used; in the Jerusalem Talmud all three forms appear, Immi predominating, and sometimes R. Ammi is contracted into "Rabmi" or...
(Lev. R. xxxi., beginning; Lam. R. i. 13), Ḥanina ben Pappa
Hanina ben Pappa
For another Jewish Amora sage also of the Land of Israel, same 3d Amoraic generetion & with a similar name, see Hanina b. Papi.For the Babylonian Amora sages of the 5th generetion, see Rav Papi or Rav Papa....
(Pes. 157a; Midr. Teh. to Ps. lxv.; Lam. R. iii. 45; Yer. Sheb. 35b), and Ḥelbo (B. B.
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...
123a, b).
Among the transmitters of Samuel's sayings were Ḥelbo, the haggadist Levi, Abbahu
Abbahu
Abbahu was a Jewish Talmudist, known as an amora, who lived in the Land of Israel, of the 3rd amoraic generation , sometimes cited as R. Abbahu of Caesarea . His rabbinic education was acquired mainly at Tiberias, in the academy presided over by R. Johanan, with whom his relations were almost...
(Lev. R. xxxv., end; Yer. Ta'an. iii.), and Eleazar ben Pedaṭ
Eleazar ben Pedat
Eleazar ben Pedat was a Jewish Talmudist, known as an amora, in the Land of Israel, of the 4th generation . He was his father's pupil and the assistant lecturer of R. Assi...
(Pes. 159b). Of Samuel's sons two are known by name—Naḥman and Hillel; sayings of both have been preserved (Gen. R. x., xxxii.; Midrash Tehillim
Midrash Tehillim
Midrash Tehillim or Midrash to Psalms is a haggadic midrash known since the 11th century, when it was quoted by Nathan of Rome in his Aruk , by R. Isaac ben Judah ibn Ghayyat in his Halakot , and by Rashi in his commentary on I Sam. xvii. 49, and on many other passages. This midrash is called also...
to Ps. lii.; Yer. Sheb. 36b; Yer. Ḳid. 61c; Eccl. R. i. 4; Midrash Shmuell xv., on Neh. viii. 17).
Samuel ben Naḥman's decisions and sayings concern the study of dogma (Yer. Peah 17a; Meg. 74d; Ḥag. 76d), prayer (Pes. 157a, b; Deut. R. ii.; Yer. Ber.
Berakhot (Talmud)
Berachot is the first tractate of Seder Zeraim, a collection of the Mishnah that primarily deals with laws relating to plants and farming...
7a; Gen. R. lxviii.), and Sabbath regulations (Gen. R. xi., end; Pesiḳ. R. 23; Yer. Shab. 15a); the history of Israel and the nations and empires (Pes. 15b, 151b; Lev. R. ii., beginning, xxiv., end, xxix.; Num. R. ii., end; Yer. Sheb. 35b; Yer. Ab. Zarah 44b); the ordinances regarding proselytes (Cant. R. vi. 2; Yer. Ber. 5b, c); Scripture ('Ab. Zarah 25a; B. B.
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...
15a; Gen. R. vi., end; Cant. R. i. 1, end), halakic exegesis (Yer. Sheḳ. 45d; Yer. Shab. 9b; Yer. Ḥal. 57b), and Biblical characters and narratives (B. B. 123a; 'Ab. Zarah 25a; Yer. Yeb. 9c; Yer. Ber.
Berakhot (Talmud)
Berachot is the first tractate of Seder Zeraim, a collection of the Mishnah that primarily deals with laws relating to plants and farming...
4b; Tosef., Shab. vii., 25; Gen. R. xlii., xlix., lxii., xcviii.; Ex. R. xliii.; Lev. R. xi.; Pes. vi.; Eccl. R. vii. 1; Midr. Shemu'el xxiii.).
His dirges
Especially noteworthy is Samuel b. Naḥman's description of the grief of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and of Rachel, over the destruction of the TempleTemple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to one of a series of structures which were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, the current site of the Dome of the Rock. Historically, these successive temples stood at this location and functioned as the centre of...
(Lam. R., Pref. 24, end). It is written in beautiful Hebrew prose, and is accompanied by dramatic dirges in Aramaic. Then follow the dirges of all the Patriarchs, which they intone when Moses for the second time has communicated to them the sad tidings. Finally, Moses himself chants a lament, addressed partly to the sun and partly to the enemy.
Other utterances of Samuel b. Naḥman's refer to homiletics (Gen. R. xiv., xx., xliii.; B. B. 123b; Ḥul. 91d; Shab. 113b), to God and the world (Gen. R. xxxiii.; Pes. 139a; 'Er. 22a; B. Ḳ. 5a, b), and to eschatology
Jewish eschatology
Jewish eschatology is concerned with the Jewish Messiah, afterlife, and the revival of the dead. Eschatology, generically, is the area of theology and philosophy concerned with the final events in the history of the world, the ultimate destiny of humanity, and related concepts.-The Messiah:The...
(Gen. R. viii.; Midr. Teh. to Ps. lxxiii., end; Pes. 156b; Midr. Shemu'el xix.; Eccl. R. i. 8).
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- Bacher, Ag. Pal. Amor. i. 477-551, ii., and iii. (see Index);
- Frankel, Mebo, pp. 146 et seq.;
- Weiss, Dor, iii. 66;
- JellinekJellinekJellinek is a surname and may refer to:* Adolf Jellinek , an Austrian rabbi and scholar.** Max Hermann Jellinek , son of Adolf Jellinek* E...
, B. H. vi. 104.