Simeon ben Judah ha-Nasi

Last updated

Simeon ben Judah ha-Nasi also called Rabban b'Rabbi was a 3rd-century Tanna in the Land of Israel and the younger son of Judah ha-Nasi, who appointed Simeon as hakham of his yeshivah in Beit She'arim (Roman-era Jewish village). [1]

Contents

Biography

Judah ha-Nasi had always intended that Simeon only become the hakham of his yeshivah, while Simeon's elder brother Gamaliel was to be Judah's successor as Nasi. The Talmud states that Simeon transmitted traditions to illustrious contemporary scholars such as Ḥiyya the Great with whom he learned Psalms and Bar Kappara, with whom he learned halakic midrashim on Leviticus. Neither Hiyya or Bar Kappara recognized Simeon as their teacher and refused to honour him as such, which apparently upset Simeon. When his father was on his deathbed, he appointed Simeon as the hakham (similar to rosh yeshiva) of his yeshivah in Beit She'arim (Roman-era Jewish village), previously stating that Simeon was "the light of Israel". [1] [2] [3]

Maimonides traditionally claimed 37 generations between him and Simeon, although, this has remained unproven. [4] [5]

Teachings

Simeon introduced several explanations in the Talmud, which he claimed to have been passed on from his father. The Talmud states that he did not approve of the fact that his father and grandfather, Simeon ben Gamaliel II cited sayings of R. Meïr without mentioning his name.

One of his more famous teachings is in regards to the later chapters of Deuteronomy 12 which states a man will be rewarded for not drinking the blood of an animal sacrifice. On this Simeon states that "If a person is rewarded for refraining from partaking of blood, which is repugnant to man, how much more so will he and his future generations be deemed meritorious for refraining from robbery and incest to which men are attracted!". In other words Simeon explains that because one rewarded for resisting an unnatural urge, one is rewarded even more so for resisting a natural urge such as robbery or unnatural fornication. [3]

Related Research Articles

Judah ha-Nasi 2nd century rabbi and editor of the Mishnah

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.

Amoraim refers to Jewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 CE, who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the Oral Torah. They were primarily located in Babylonia and the Land of Israel. Their legal discussions and debates were eventually codified in the Gemara. The Amoraim followed the Tannaim in the sequence of ancient Jewish scholars. The Tannaim were direct transmitters of uncodified oral tradition; the Amoraim expounded upon and clarified the oral law after its initial codification.

Sanhedrin Assemblies of twenty-three or seventy-one Jewish elders

The Sanhedrin were assemblies of either twenty-three or seventy-one elders, who were appointed to sit as a tribunal in every city in the ancient Land of Israel.

Tannaim were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10–220 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also referred to as the Mishnaic period, lasted about 210 years. It came after the period of the Zugot ("pairs"), and was immediately followed by the period of the Amoraim ("interpreters").

Gamaliel First century leading authority on Jewish law in the Sanhedrin

Gamaliel the Elder, or Rabban Gamaliel I, was a leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the early first century AD. He was the son of Simeon ben Hillel and grandson of the great Jewish teacher Hillel the Elder. Gamaliel is thought to have died in 52 AD. He fathered Simeon ben Gamliel, who was named for his father, and a daughter, who married a priest named Simon ben Nathanael.

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.

<i>Hakham</i> Wise man or rabbi in Judaism

Hakham is a term in Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a hakham, even if he be not a Jew." Hence in Talmudic-Midrashic literature, wise gentiles are commonly called hakhmei ummot ha-'olam.

Nasi is a Hebrew title meaning "prince" in Biblical Hebrew, "Prince [of the Sanhedrin]" in Mishnaic Hebrew, or "president" in Modern Hebrew.

The av beit din, also spelled av beis din or abh beth din and abbreviated ABD, was the second-highest-ranking member of the Sanhedrin during the Second Temple period, and served as an assistant to the Nasi (Prince). The Av Beit Din was known as the "Master of the Court;" he was considered the most learned and important of these seventy members.

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.

Horayot Tractate of the Mishnah and the Talmud

Horayot is a tractate in Seder Nezikin in the Talmud. In the Mishnah, this is the tenth and last tractate in Nezikin; in the Babylonian Talmud the ninth tractate; in the Jerusalem Talmud the eighth. It consists of three chapters in the Mishnah and two in the Tosefta. The tractate mainly discusses laws pertaining to erroneous rulings by a Jewish court, as well as unwitting actions performed by leading authorities of the Jewish people, and the sacrificial offerings that might be brought as a consequence of these actions. The conclusion of the tractate (12a-13b) deals with the prioritization of korbanot in the temple and explores the question of how to quantify human life in emergency situations.

Hanina bar Hama was a Jewish Talmudist, halakhist and aggadist frequently quoted in the Babylonian and the Jerusalem Talmud, and in the Midrashim.

The Talmudic Academies in Syria Palaestina were yeshivot that served as centers for Jewish scholarship and the development of Jewish law in Syria Palaestina between the destruction of the Second Temple circa 70 CE and the deposition of Raban Gamliel VI circa 425 CE. The academies had a great and lasting impact on the development of world Jewry, including the creation of the Jerusalem Talmud. The region designated as the Land of Israel / Eretz Yisrael in Jewish sources was during the Talmudic period also officially known as Syria Palaestina and Palaestina Prima / Palaestina Secunda.

Beit Shearim necropolis The Jewish necropolis at Beit Shearim

Beit She'arim is the currently used name for the ancient Jewish town of Bet She'arāyim or Kfar She'arāyim, made popular by its necropolis, now known as Beit She'arim National Park. The site, located on a hill, was known initially by its Arabic name Sheikh Ibreik or Sheikh Abreik, purchased by the Jewish National Fund, and which historical geographer Samuel Klein in 1936 identified as Talmudic Beit She'arim.

Jose ben Saul was a Jewish rabbi who lived in Galilee in the third century CE. He is considered an amora of the first generation after the codification of the Mishnah. Jose is known chiefly as a transmitter of the sayings and traditions of the patriarch Judah ha-Nasi, whose disciple he was. These as well as his own sayings are further transmitted by Joshua ben Levi and by Hiyya ben Gamda. In one place the following order is given: Simon ben Pazzi says in the name of Joshua ben Levi in the name of Rabbi Jose ben Saul in the name of Judah ha-Nasi in the name of the holy assembly of Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Talmud has preserved only one anecdote of his in the Aramaic. His brothers were Johanan ben Saul and Halafta ben Saul, with the former of whom he used to hold halakhic controversies.

Eleazar ha-Kappar was a Jewish rabbi of the fifth and last generation of the Tannaim era. He was a colleague of Judah haNasi, and was in the company of him occasionally. He spent most of his life at ancient Katzrin. He was the father of Bar Kappara, who is sometimes cited by the same name. He had a nephew named Hiyya, who was known for his pleasant voice.

Rabbi Yannai was an amora who lived in the 3rd century, and of the first generation of the Amoraim of the Land of Israel.

Eleazar b. Simeon was a Jewish Tanna sage of the fifth generation, contemporary of R. Judah haNasi.

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.

Ma'aseh Breishit and Ma'aseh Merkavah, literally "work of Creation" and "work of the Chariot", are terms used in the Talmud for the esoteric doctrine of the universe, or for parts of it.

References

  1. 1 2 Eisenberg, Ronald L. (2013). Essential Figures in the Talmud. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 237. ISBN   978-0-7657-0941-7.
  2. ↑ "Simeon ben Judah Ha-Nasi | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  3. 1 2 "SIMEON BEN JUDAH HA-NASI I. - JewishEncyclopedia.com". www.jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  4. ↑ "Early Years". www.chabad.org. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  5. ↑ "Maimonides Ancestors" . Retrieved 2020-05-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.