Rav

Rav

Last generation of Tannaim and the first of the Amoraim. Almost no Tanna or Amora had their life story documented as extensively as Rav. Many books have been written in his honor, and he is the one who links the Tannaic period with the Amoraic period. Divine Providence bestowed upon him abundant goodness: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, wealth, beauty, strength, and longevity.

In the days of our holy Rabbi, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, select members of the nation ascended to the Land of Israel: Rabbi Hiyya and his sons, Rabbi Hanina, Levi, Rav, Rabbah bar Hanna, and Rabbi Yonatan. And were it not for them, who knows if Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi would have been able to publish the six orders of the Mishnah? With the help of the Sages of Babylonia, they lit the lamp of Torah in the Land of Israel. Rav studied Torah from our holy Rabbi, returned to Babylonia, ignited the fire of Torah throughout the land of Babylonia, and raised thousands upon thousands of disciples, and from his teachings, we live even today.

Rabbi Hiyya, his uncle, used to call Rav "bar paḥati," meaning "son of nobles" or "son of a scholar." From this, we learn that Rav's father was also a scholar. [נזיר נט]

Rav was tall [נדה כד:] and handsome, so much so that they said about him: "The beauty of Rav" – meaning his facial features and appearance – was like the beauty of Rabbi Abahu, and the beauty of Rabbi Abahu was like the beauty of Jacob our Patriarch, and the beauty of Jacob our Patriarch was like the beauty of Adam HaRishon. [בבא בתרא נח.]

Rav was a healthy man, as Rabbi Yohanan said about him: "Abba" – referring to Rav, whom he addressed with a respectful title – "he is from a family of healthy people, and therefore he could eat like Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya, who was wealthy." [חולין פד.]

Even in his youth, Rav ascended to the Land of Israel with his uncle Rabbi Hiyya and his sons, and the greatest of Rabbi's disciples were the Sages of Babylonia. His primary teacher, without a doubt, was his uncle Rabbi Hiyya.

He had the opportunity to see Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, as Rav stated: "I learned this law from Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon." [זבחים קב:]

From this, we learn that Rav was in the Land of Israel during the time of the Tannaim, and there was no Amora there yet. Therefore, his words were recorded in the Baraitot, and he and his uncle Rabbi Hiyya were called "Tanna hu u'palig" (he is a Tanna and disputes).

While in Rabbi's yeshiva, he associated with all of Rabbi's great disciples, namely: Bar Kappara, Levi, Shimon son of Rabbi, and Rabbi Hanina bar Hama.

Rav's Family

Rav's grandfather was named Sela from the city of "Kafri," near the city of Sura in Babylonia.

Sela fathered his son Aḥa, Aḥa fathered Abba, and Abba was privileged to raise five great Torah scholars in Israel: Iybo, Hanna (father of Rabbah bar Hanna), Shela, Marta, and Rabbi Hiyya—all sons of Abba, son of Aḥa, son of Sela of Kafri.

Rav Huna, His Disciple

When Rabbah bar Rav Huna had a dispute with the people of the Resh Galuta (Exilarch), he would say to them: "I do not take permission from you, nor am I subordinate to you, for I did not receive my authority to judge from you. Rather, I received permission to judge from my father and teacher, Rav Huna, and my father and teacher received permission to judge from Rav, and Rav received from his uncle Rabbi Hiyya, and Rabbi Hiyya received permission to judge from Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi."

Rav's Status

When Rabbah bar Hanna wished to go down to Babylonia, Rabbi Hiyya asked Rabbi: "Rabbah, the son of my brother Hanna, is going down to Babylonia. Does he have permission to issue rulings concerning forbidden and permitted matters, and ritual purity and impurity there?" Rabbi replied, "He is given permission to issue rulings." Rabbi Hiyya further asked Rabbi: "Does he also have permission to judge monetary cases as an expert individual, and if he errs, is he exempt from paying?" Rabbi replied, "He also has permission to judge monetary cases."

Rabbi Hiyya further asked: "Can he also declare blemishes on firstborn animals?" Rabbi replied, "He is also given permission to permit firstborns."

The Gemara continues: When Rav wished to go down to Babylonia, Rabbi Hiyya asked Rabbi: "Rav, the son of my sister whose name is Iymo, may he issue rulings?" Rabbi replied, "He may issue rulings." He asked, "May he judge?" Rabbi replied, "He may judge." "May he permit firstborns?" Rabbi replied, "He was not given permission to permit firstborns."

The question was asked: Why did Rabbi Hiyya call Rabbah bar Hanna "my brother's son," and Rav "my sister's son"?!

Rav was both his brother's son and his sister's son! Rav's father, "Iybo," was Rabbi Hiyya's brother (sons of the same father named Abba bar Sela of Kafri, but not from the same mother). And Rav's mother was Rabbi Hiyya's sister (children of the same mother, but not the same father). Iybo and Iymo, Rav's parents, were not siblings.

Iybo, Rav's father, and Hanna, Rabbah's father, and Shela, and Marta, and Rabbi Hiyya – all five of them were sons of Abba bar Aḥa Karsala, from a place called Kafri!

If so, Rav was also Rabbi Hiyya's brother's son! So why did he call him "my sister's son"? Because Rav was both his brother's son and his sister's son, he called him "my sister's son." And Rabbah was only his brother's son, so he called him "my brother's son."

Or we can say: Rabbi Hiyya called Rav "my sister's son" due to Rav's great wisdom, for wisdom is called a sister, as it is written: "Say to wisdom, 'You are my sister.'" [משלי ז,ד]

Why did Rabbi not permit Rav to permit firstborns? Yet Rav was a great sage from his early childhood, which is why his uncle Rabbi Hiyya called him "my sister's son"?!

It is even more puzzling: Rav was expert in blemishes, and the proof is that Rav said: "For eighteen months, I stayed with a shepherd of animals to learn which blemish is permanent, making the firstborn permissible for slaughter, and which is a transient blemish, making the firstborn forbidden for slaughter."

They replied: Rabbi did not permit Rav to permit firstborns so that the people of Babylonia would show respect to Rabbah bar Hanna. Therefore, Rabbi gave Rabbah the prominence that only he would permit firstborns, and he was not concerned that Rav's honor would be slighted, because Rabbi knew that Rav would be shown respect even without this. [סנהדרין ה.]

Rav's Lineage

Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi betrothed his son to Rabbi Hiyya's daughter. When they came to write the ketubah (marriage contract), Rabbi Hiyya's daughter, the bride, died! Rabbi said, "Heaven forbid, is there some flaw in this match?!" Both sides sat down to examine the family genealogies.

They said: Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi's lineage is from Shephatiah ben Avital, King David's wife, implying that Rabbi's son is of royal descent. However, Rabbi Hiyya's lineage is from Shimei, David's brother, so this is the flaw! The bride is not of royal descent, and she is not fitting for a son of kings. [כתובות סב:]

His Wisdom

Rav was expert in natural science, the nature of foods, a great expert in medicine, in avoiding things harmful to the body, in knowledge of the regions, seas, and rivers, and in many other sciences.

Rav was expert in natural phenomena [פסחים קיג.] and Rav said: "There is a mosquito, a type of flea, that lives a full day, and there is a fly that lives a full year." [חולין נח:]

It is written: "And the Lord will remove from you all illness." [דברים ז,טו]

Rav said: "All illness" refers to the evil eye, because all illnesses depend on it. And how did Rav learn this? Rav would frequent the cemetery and knew how to whisper over the graves and understand from each grave by what death the person died, whether they died at their appointed time or before their time due to the evil eye!

He said: "Ninety-nine out of a hundred who die, die from the evil eye, and one in a natural way," meaning their time to die had come. [ב"מ קז:]

Expert in the Nature of Foods, Fish, Fowl, Seeds, and Cooked Dishes

Rav happened to visit Rav Shapir's house during Hol HaMoed. They brought before them a fish that was one-third cooked, one-third salted, and one-third roasted.

Rav said: "A fisherman named Adda told me: It is better to eat a fish when it is near the end of the time it would spoil than to eat it shortly after it was caught." [מועד קטן יא.]

Great Expert in Medicine

Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: "A person should always sell even the beams of his house and buy shoes for his feet, for there is no greater disgrace than a person walking barefoot in the marketplace."

And despite the great importance of shoes, a person who had blood let for medicinal purposes and has nothing to eat afterward should sell the shoes on his feet and buy provisions for a meal after bloodletting.

What should he buy for his meal?

Rav said: "Meat, because he had blood let and lost blood, he lost from his soul! Therefore, he should eat meat, as it is stated: 'For the life of the flesh is in the blood.'" [ויקרא יז,יד]

Shmuel said: "Wine, red for red," meaning he lost blood, so he should drink red wine. [שבת קכט.]

His Wealth

One who sees all kinds of vegetables in his dream, it is a good sign for him, except for turnip heads, because they are thick like a stick, a sign that he will receive lashes, as Bar Hedia, the interpreter of dreams, told Rava.

A question was asked: Did not Rav say, "I did not become wealthy until I saw turnip heads in my dream"? This implies that turnip heads are a good sign for him?

They replied: Rav saw the turnip heads in their place of growth in the field, as if in his own field, and their size indicated to a person that he has good produce, i.e., a sign of wealth.

But when a person dreams of them uprooted, it is a sign that they are like a stick in someone else's hand and will be used to harm the dreamer. [ברכות נז:]

Rav Huna, Rav's disciple, saw him make kiddush over beer instead of wine, even though wine was available in his city! This was because beer was dear to Rav.

Rav Huna said to Rav: "Abba" – thus was Rav called – "has begun to earn money from selling beer!" Meaning, Abba began to produce beer and earn a living from it, and therefore beer is dear to you, and you make kiddush over it! [פסחים קז.]

His Humility

A certain butcher behaved disrespectfully towards Rav and did not come to ask for Rav's forgiveness.

On the eve of Yom Kippur, Rav decided to go and make peace with that butcher. On Rav's way, Rav Huna met him and asked him where His Honor was going. Rav told him, "To make peace with a certain butcher."

Rav Huna thought to himself: Since Abba is a great man and exerts himself to make peace with the butcher, the butcher is destined to be punished with death!

Rav went and stood before the butcher. The butcher was busy with his work, breaking bones of an animal's head. He looked up and saw Rav standing before him.

The butcher said to Rav: "You, whom they call Abba! Go away from here, I have no business with you!" At that moment, as the butcher said this, he raised his hand to break the bones of the animal's head before him, and a bone slipped out and flew onto his neck, killing him. [יומא פז.]

With the Greats of His Generation

Rav would read the weekly Torah portion before Rabbi.

His uncle, Rabbi Hiyya, entered and wanted him to return to the beginning of the portion! Rav returned to the beginning of the portion.

Bar Kappara entered, and Rav again returned to the beginning of the portion.

Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi, arrived, and again Rav returned to the beginning of the portion.

Rabbi Hanina bar Hama entered. Rav said: "Must we return to the beginning of the portion so many times?!" He continued his reading and did not return to the beginning of the portion.

Rabbi Hanina was upset with Rav for not agreeing to repeat the portion for his sake!

On the thirteenth eve of Yom Kippur, Rav went to appease Rabbi Hanina, but Rabbi Hanina was not appeased! Even though according to the law, it is enough to appease a person three times! And all this, because Rav was strict with himself. The question was asked: How could Rabbi Hanina not agree to be appeased? Did we not learn: "Whoever overlooks his attributes, his sins are overlooked by Heaven," and it was fitting for Rabbi Hanina to act this way?

They replied: Rabbi Hanina had a dream, and in his dream, he saw Rav hanging on a palm tree! For the Sages, it was a clear sign that whoever sees a person hanging on a palm tree in a dream, that person will rise to greatness and become a head of a yeshiva! Because being elevated on a palm tree indicates leadership and greatness.

Rabbi Hanina said to himself: From this dream, I understand that Heaven wants to make Rav the head of the yeshiva. Since Rabbi Hanina was the head of the yeshiva, he greatly feared that he might die soon, because "one kingdom does not encroach upon another," and Rav's time had come to be appointed head of the yeshiva!

Rabbi Hanina said: "I will not be appeased with Rav!" Thus, Rav will go to Babylonia and study Torah there, and they will make him head of the yeshiva, and thereby my days as head of the yeshiva in the Land of Israel will be prolonged. [יומא פז:]

Rav's Merit

In the city of Sura in Babylonia, there was a plague! The plague did not reach the area where Rav lived. The local residents said, "Surely Rav's numerous merits protect us, and therefore the plague did not reach our neighborhood!"

From Heaven, they were shown their mistake in a dream: because for Rav, even a small thing is enough to protect the neighborhood from the plague, and his numerous merits are not needed for this. [תענית כא:]

With Shmuel, His Colleague in Dispute

Rav's colleague and beloved friend was Shmuel, and from the day Rav came to Babylonia, Shmuel recognized that he was full of the spirit of wisdom and knowledge.

Shmuel called him "Abba" more than anyone else because he respected him greatly, and Rav's disciples called him "Rabbenu" (our teacher).

Rav and Shmuel were called "Rabbenu ShebeBavel" (our teachers in Babylonia), and Rabbi Elazar called their great academy "Beit Rabbenu ShebeBavel" (the house of our teachers in Babylonia). Rav also showed great respect to Shmuel and said of him: "Kol raz lo anis lei" (no secret is hidden from him), meaning all the secrets of the Torah were revealed to him. [חולין נט].

Rav also applied to him: "And in the multitude of counselors there is salvation," meaning that with a good counselor, one can be saved and succeed in everything. [יבמות קכא.]

Rav used to ascend to the Torah reading in place of a Kohen out of respect for the Torah. But when Shmuel, who was a Kohen, was present, he would not do so out of respect for Shmuel. [מגילה כב].

The disputes between Rav and Shmuel in Halakha and Aggadah fill the entire Shas. They laid the foundations for the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds and were called "Havvayot Rav veShmuel" (the teachings of Rav and Shmuel) [ברכות יט:]. They united two periods, that of the Tannaim and the Amoraim, and illuminated the land and its inhabitants with their wisdom.

Rav was older than Shmuel. Levi was his colleague already when he was in the Land of Israel [ביצה כד:]. And when Rav settled in Sura in Babylonia, Levi also came to Babylonia, and they met there as well. Rabbah bar Hanna was also with him [שבת נט:], and Rav disputed in Halakha with Abuh d'Shmuel and Levi. [ע"ז לח:]

Ten Traits of Piety Practiced by Rav

1. He would walk so as not to trouble the public.
2. He did not look more than four cubits in front of him.
3. He did not walk with an uncovered head.
4. He would direct his heart in prayer.
5. He did not look sideways.
6. He fulfilled the three meals on Shabbat.
7. He did not eat at optional meals.
8. He would go to appease anyone who had provoked him.
9. His voice was pleasant and rose high in translation.
10. He was accustomed to the mitzvah of Tzitzit.

His Humility

Rav's wife used to torment him! When he asked for lentils, she would make him legumes, and vice versa.

What did Hiyya, his son, do? When Rav asked for lentils, Hiyya would say to his mother, "Father wants legumes," and thus Rav received what he wanted to eat. Rav said to Hiyya, his son: "Your mother has improved!"

Hiyya, his son, told him what he had done! Rav said to him: "This is what they say: 'Your son who comes forth from you enlightens you,' and how did I not think of this myself!" Nevertheless, Rav told Hiyya, his son, not to do it again so that he would not get used to lying. [יבמות ס"ג.]

Incident with Shmuel

Shmuel and Karna were sitting by the bank of the Melekh River in Babylonia. They noticed that although there was no wind blowing, there were waves in the river.

Shmuel said to Karna: "Since there is no wind and there are waves, it seems the waves are surely in honor of a great man arriving from the Land of Israel who is suffering from his bowels, and since he needs to relieve himself and has gone to the side of the boat, the waters rise and create a partition for him to preserve his modesty."

Shmuel said to Karna: "Go check if he is a scholar!"

Karna went and found Rav. Karna asked him several halakhic questions, and Rav noticed that he had come to test his knowledge.

Rav asked him: "What is your name?" Karna told him. Rav said to him: "May it be His will that a horn (keren) sprout from between your eyes." They arrived at Shmuel's house. Shmuel welcomed Rav into his home with great honor. Shmuel, who was an expert physician, wanted to help Rav and heal him! Shmuel prepared barley bread, small fried fish, and gave him beer to drink, so that Rav could evacuate all the waste that was bothering him in his bowels.

Shmuel did another thing: he did not show Rav where the outhouse was so that his food would have a therapeutic effect, and all this was his intention to help Rav!

Rav did not recognize Shmuel's intention to heal him and thought in his heart that Shmuel wanted to distress him! Rav cursed Shmuel that he would have no sons, and so it was.

After it became clear to Rav that Shmuel had done all this for his healing and came to help him, he asked for his forgiveness and greatly honored Shmuel. [שבת ק"ח.]

His Praises and Sayings

Rav said: "All predetermined ends have passed, and redemption depends only on repentance and good deeds." [סנהדרין צז:] Rabbi called him "son of nobles." Rabbi Hiyya called him "my sister's son" because of his wisdom. When Rabbi Hiyya was rebuked by Rabbi, he taught Rav all the rules of the Torah. Rav, Shmuel, and Rabbi Yohanan, their words are like words of Scripture (like words of Torah).