Fourth Generation of Amoraim

Rav Shimi of Nehardea

Rav Shimi of Nehardea was an Amora of the fourth generation, appearing as a contemporary or colleague of Rava. He is noted for his teachings regarding the minimum number of verses to be read from the Torah.

Fourth Generation of Amoraim. Since he spoke to Rava, who stated a teaching in Rav Shimi's name, it implies that he was a peer of Rava. [שבועות יב:]

His Sayings

We learned in the Mishnah: On Mondays and Thursdays, and on Shabbat at Minchah, Ezra the Scribe ordained that three individuals should be called to read from the Torah: a Kohen, a Levi, and an Yisrael; and one should not diminish from these nor add to them.

Against what do these three readers correspond? Rav Assi said: They correspond to Torah, Prophets, and Writings.

Rava said: They correspond to Kohanim, Leviim, and Yisraelim. If so, the number of those called to the Torah corresponds to something specific. “And the Lord spoke to – except for that which Rav Shimi taught: one should not read less than ten verses in the synagogue, and the verse 'Moses to say' counts towards the ten, even though nothing can be learned from it.”

Against what do these ten verses correspond? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: They correspond to the ten idle men (Batelanim) in the synagogue. Rav Yosef said: They correspond to the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses at Sinai.

Rabbi Yochanan said: They correspond to the ten divine utterances through which the world was created. [מגילה כא:]

Precise citations

Full sources page for this sage (2)

Shevuot 12b ↗“דָּרַשׁ רַב נַחְמָן בַּר רַב חִסְדָּא: אֵין מְקַיְּצִין בְּעוֹלַת הָעוֹף. אָמַר רָבָא: הָא בּוּרְכָא! אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק לְרָבָא: מַאי בּוּרְכְתָא? אֲנָא אַמְרִיתַהּ נִיהֲלֵיהּ, וּמִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַב שִׁימִי מִנְּהַרְדְּעָא אַמְרִיתַהּ נִיהֲלֵיהּ – דְּאָמַר רַב שִׁימִי מִנְּהַרְדְּעָא: מוֹתָרוֹת…”
Megillah 21b ↗“תָּנָא: מַה שֶּׁאֵין כֵּן בַּתּוֹרָה. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: בַּתּוֹרָה — אֶחָד קוֹרֵא וְאֶחָד מְתַרְגֵּם, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אֶחָד קוֹרֵא וּשְׁנַיִם מְתַרְגְּמִין. וּבַנָּבִיא — אֶחָד קוֹרֵא וּשְׁנַיִם מְתַרְגְּמִין, וּבִלְבַד שֶׁלֹּא יְהוּ שְׁנַיִם קוֹרִין וּשְׁנַיִם מְתַרְגְּמִין. וּבַהַלֵּל וּבַמְּגִילָּה —…”

Talmudic sources

Translated source passages

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