Tavi
Encyclopedia
Tavi was the slave of Gamaliel II
. Although not fully Jewish himself, he was known for his acquaintance and adherence to Talmudic law
and for his piety.
Tavi is mentioned in several instances in the Mishnah
. During the Feast of Tabernacles, he used to sleep under the bed in the booth. In allusion to this habit Gamaliel observed, "Tavi, my slave, is a scholar; he knows that the law of booths does not apply to slaves, and therefore he sleeps under the bed". Yet Tavi used to wear phylacteries
, a duty and privilege of free men; but, his piety being known, he was not interfered with. Wishing to free him, but unable to do so since it would be contrary to the Law, Gamaliel, ostensibly by accident, put out one of his slave's eyes; then, meeting R. Joshua
, he expressed his great joy at having found occasion to free his slave. Joshua, however, told him that he was mistaken, since no witnesses had been present and since he had confessed to the act himself. When Tavi died, his master received condolences from his friends, a rare occurrence in the case of slaves. It is said in Menahem Azariah da Fano
's Gilgule Neshamot that Gamaliel's soul emanated from that of Shem
, while Tavi's soul emanated from that of Ham, who was, according to the Bible, destined to be a slave to his brother. Besides, according to the lesser numerical values
of the letters of the hebrew alphabet, the names of Ham and Tavi both have the same numerical value, namely, twelve.
Gamaliel II
Rabban Gamaliel II was the first person to lead the Sanhedrin as Nasi after the fall of the second temple, which occurred in 70 CE. Gamliel was appointed nasi approximately 10 years later. Gamaliel II was the son of Shimon ben Gamaliel, one of Jerusalem's foremost men in the war against the...
. Although not fully Jewish himself, he was known for his acquaintance and adherence to Talmudic law
Talmudic law
Talmudic Law Is the law that is derived from the Talmud based on the teachings of the Talmudic Sages.* See Talmud or Talmudical Hermeneutics for more information....
and for his piety.
Tavi is mentioned in several instances in the Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
. During the Feast of Tabernacles, he used to sleep under the bed in the booth. In allusion to this habit Gamaliel observed, "Tavi, my slave, is a scholar; he knows that the law of booths does not apply to slaves, and therefore he sleeps under the bed". Yet Tavi used to wear phylacteries
Tefillin
Tefillin also called phylacteries are a set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah, which are worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers. Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form , it is loosely used as a singular as...
, a duty and privilege of free men; but, his piety being known, he was not interfered with. Wishing to free him, but unable to do so since it would be contrary to the Law, Gamaliel, ostensibly by accident, put out one of his slave's eyes; then, meeting R. Joshua
Joshua ben Hananiah
Joshua ben Hananiah was a leading tanna of the first half-century following the destruction of the Temple. He was of Levitical descent , and served in the sanctuary as a member of the class of singers . His mother intended him for a life of study, and, as an older contemporary, Dosa b. Harkinas,...
, he expressed his great joy at having found occasion to free his slave. Joshua, however, told him that he was mistaken, since no witnesses had been present and since he had confessed to the act himself. When Tavi died, his master received condolences from his friends, a rare occurrence in the case of slaves. It is said in Menahem Azariah da Fano
Menahem Azariah da Fano
Menahem Azariah da Fano was an Italian rabbi, Talmudist, and Kabbalist.-Life:...
's Gilgule Neshamot that Gamaliel's soul emanated from that of Shem
Shem
Shem was one of the sons of Noah in the Hebrew Bible as well as in Islamic literature. He is most popularly regarded as the eldest son, though some traditions regard him as the second son. Genesis 10:21 refers to relative ages of Shem and his brother Japheth, but with sufficient ambiguity in each...
, while Tavi's soul emanated from that of Ham, who was, according to the Bible, destined to be a slave to his brother. Besides, according to the lesser numerical values
Gematria
Gematria or gimatria is a system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase, in the belief that words or phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the number itself as it may apply to a person's age, the calendar year, or the like...
of the letters of the hebrew alphabet, the names of Ham and Tavi both have the same numerical value, namely, twelve.