Judah II or Nesi'ah I was a 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 Torah, the Mishnah and Talmud. There he is variously called "Judah," "Judah Nesi'ah" (= "ha-Nasi"), and occasionally "Rabbi" like his grandfather, Judah haNasi. As Judah III is also designated as "Judah Nesi'ah," it is often difficult, sometimes impossible, to determine which one of these patriarchs is referred to.
Various stories of Judah's youth, referring to him and his brother Hillel, have been preserved. As youths, Judah and Hillel visited Cabul and Biri, each time behaving in ways which offended the local population. [1]
He had especially friendly relations with Hoshaiah. [2] Together with Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, he assisted at Laodicea in the reception of a female proselyte into Judaism. [3] Jonathan b. Eleazar was his companion at the baths of Gadara. [4] The relations between the patriarch and Rabbi Yochanan, the leader of the Academy of Tiberias, seem to have been friendly; [5] Yochanan accepted the regular material support offered to him by Judah. [6] Yochanan also induced Judah to visit Shimon ben Lakish, who had fled from Tiberias in consequence of having made offensive remarks in regard to the dignity of the patriarchate, and invite him to return. [7]
On another occasion, it was Shimon ben Lakish who succeeded in softening Judah's indignation toward a daring preacher, Jose of Maon, who had denounced the rapacity of the patriarchal house. [8] Shimon ben Lakish, moreover, seems to have exhorted the patriarch to unselfishness, saying "Take nothing, so that you will have to give nothing [to the Roman authorities]". [9] Simeon ben Lakish also reminded Judah of the need of providing for elementary education in the various cities, referring to the saying, "A city in which there are no schools for children is doomed to destruction". [10]
Judah's authority as patriarch was not absolute: he could not carry out his intention of omitting the fast-day of Tisha B'Av when it fell on the Sabbath. [11] He was not regarded by his contemporaries as their equal in scholarship, as appears from a curious meeting between him and R. Yannai. [12]
However, Judah was not so unimportant as might appear from this, since Shimon ben Lakish (who was not his pupil) hands down a whole series of halakhic teachings in the name of "Judah Nesi'ah". [13] Shimon ben Lakish doubtless survived Judah and repeated his traditions. Shimon handed down also some of Judah's aggadic teachings. [14] The passage (Nazir 20c) referring to Simeon ben Lakish as "sitting before Judah" and explaining a midrash does not refer to him as a pupil, but as a member of the college. This view is supported by Avodah Zarah 6b, which speaks of Shimon as "sitting before Judah Nesi'ah"; here the patriarch asks Shimon what to do in a certain case, and Shimon clearly appears as the better halakhist, not as Judah's pupil.
Judah's relations to the scholars of his time appear from the following disagreement between Judah and the rabbis: "One said: 'The time is adapted to the leader [parnas]'; the other said: 'The leader is adapted to the time'". [15] It was probably Judah who said that the leader is adapted to the time, and that he must not be blamed for his own incapacity. In the above-mentioned meeting between Judah and Jose of Maon [16] it was Jose who said, "As the time, so the prince."
On another occasion, Judah openly confessed his incapacity. Once during a drought he had ordered a fast and prayed in vain for rain. Thereupon he said, "What a difference between Samuel of Ramah [17] and Judah, the son of Gamaliel! Woe to the time which has such a tent-peg, and woe to me that I have come at such a time!" Rain soon fell in consequence of this self-abasement. [18]
Grätz identifies Judah's brother Hillel, with the "patriarch Joullos" ('Ιοῦλλος πατριάρχης), with whom Origen conversed at Caesarea on Biblical subjects. [19] But as Hillel himself was not a patriarch, it may be assumed that it was Judah who conversed with Origen. Origen probably misread ΙΟϒΛΟΣ (Joulos) for ΙΟϒΔΑΣ (Joudas). This assumption agrees with the above-mentioned statement about Hoshaiah's close relations with the patriarch, for it may be assumed as a fact that Hoshaiah had intercourse with Origen at Caesarea. [20]
In halakhic tradition, Judah II was especially known by three ordinances decreed by him and his academy; one of these ordinances referred to a reform of the divorce laws. [21] Especially famous was the decree permitting the use of oil prepared by pagans, incorporated in the Mishnah with the same formula used in connection with decrees of Judah haNasi—"Rabbi and his court permitted". [22] This ordinance, which abrogated an old law, was recognized as authoritative in Babylonia by Samuel, and subsequently by Rav, who at first hesitated to accept it. [23] Simlai, the famous aggadist, tried to induce Judah to abrogate also the prohibition against using bread prepared by pagans. Judah, however, refused to do so, alleging that he did not wish his academy to be called the "losing court". [24]
Judah ha-Nasi or Judah I, was a second-century rabbi and chief redactor and editor of the Mishnah. He lived from approximately 135 to 217 CE. He was a key leader of the Jewish community during the Roman occupation of Judea.
Johanan bar Nappaha was a leading rabbi in the early era of the Talmud. He belonged to the second generation of amoraim.
Judah III, Yudan Nesiah, was a prominent Jewish sage, who held the office of Nasi of the ancient Jewish Sanhedrin between about 290 and 320 CE.
Shimon ben Lakish, better known by his nickname Reish Lakish, was an amora who lived in the Roman province of Judaea in the third century. He was reputedly born in Bosra, east of the Jordan River, around 200 CE, but lived most of his life in Sepphoris. Nothing is known of his ancestry except his father's name.
Bar Kappara was a rabbi of the late 2nd and early 3rd century CE, during the period between the tannaim and amoraim. He was active in Caesarea in the Land of Israel, from around 180 to 220 CE. His name, meaning "Son of Kapparah", was taken from his father, Eleazar ha-Kappar. He was one of the students of R' Judah haNasi, and an Amora of the first generation.
Dosetai is a Greek given name meaning "gift of God". It was extremely popular in late classical Judea and among Jewish communities in Egypt, and corresponds to the Hebrew "Mattaniah" or "Nethaneel," which seems to have been a favorite one both in Palestine and in Alexandria.
Rabban Gamaliel II was a rabbi from the second generation of tannaim. He was the first person to lead the Sanhedrin as nasi after the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
Gamaliel IV was the son of the nasi Judah II and father of Judah III.
Epes the Southerner or Rabbi Epes, was a scholar of the 3rd century, secretary to the patriarch Judah haNasi, and one of the last tannaim. After Judah's death, while Efes conducted a college in southern Judea, on account of which he was called "EfesDaromi", he was made head of the academy at Sepphoris, although the dying patriarch had ordered the appointment of Hanina b. Hama to that position. Hanina refused to supersede Efes, who was his senior by two years and a half.
Rabbi 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 "Rabbammi".
Eleazar ben Pedat was a Jewish Talmudist, known as an amora, in the Land of Israel, of the 2nd and 3rd generation.
Samuel ben Nahman or Samuel [bar] 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.
Rabbi Simlai was a talmudic rabbi who lived in Israel in the 3rd century.
For other people named Eleazer. see: Eleazar (name)
Ishmael ben Jose was a rabbi who lived at the beginning of the 3rd century. He was the son of Jose ben Halafta.
Hoshaiah Rabbah or Hoshayya Rabbah was a Amora of the Land of Israel from the first amoraic generation, compiler of Baraitot explaining the Mishnah-Tosefta.
Rabbi Yannai was an amora who lived in the 3rd century, and of the first generation of the Amoraim of the Land of Israel.
Hiyya, or Hiyya the Great, was a Jewish sage in the Land of Israel during the transitional generation between the Tannaic and Amoraic eras. Active in Tiberias, Hiyya was the primary compiler of the Tosefta. His full name is Hiyya bar Abba, also the name of the 3rd generation Amora of the Land of Israel, Hiyya bar Abba. He was a student of Judah haNasi, and uncle and teacher of Rav.
Rabbi Isaac Nappaha, or Isaac the smith, was a rabbi of the 3rd-4th centuries who lived in the Galilee.
Hama bar Hanina was a rabbi who lived in the Land of Israel in the 3rd century.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906). "JUDAH II". The Jewish Encyclopedia . New York: Funk & Wagnalls. with the following bibliography: