Rabbi Natan the Babylonian

Third generation of Tannaim.

Author of Avot de-Rabbi Natan. He delved into the depth of the law, meaning: he clarified the Halakha thoroughly. He was a scribe, a companion of Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes, and the teacher of Rabbi.

He served as the Av Bet Din in the academy of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, father of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi.

All his ancestors were Exilarchs in Babylonia, and Rabbi Natan ascended to the Land of Israel, was appointed Av Bet Din, and Elijah the Prophet was accustomed to being with him.

Rabbi and Rabbi Natan are the end of the Mishnah, meaning: they are the last generation of Tannaim. Until their time, every Tanna would teach his sayings in the Beit Midrash, and they took care to collect all the words of the Tannaim from all generations and arranged them into the six orders of the Mishnah. [ב"מ פו.]

The Rama wrote: Even though the Halakha follows Rabbi over his colleague, regarding Rabbi and Rabbi Natan, the Halakha follows Rabbi Natan. Why? Rabbi Natan is different from everyone else because he was the teacher of Rabbi and his father.

Elijah the Prophet was accustomed to him

Elijah the Prophet said to Rabbi Natan: Eat until your stomach is filled a third, and drink until your stomach is filled another third, and leave the last third of your stomach empty.

Then, even if you become angry and your stomach expands, it will remain intact and will not burst.

But if you fill your entire stomach with eating and drinking, then when you become angry, your stomach will expand and may burst. [גיטין ע.]

His Wisdom

Abaye said, my mother told me: A baby whose entire body is red, the reason is! because his blood has not yet been absorbed into his flesh and remains between the skin and the flesh. Therefore, in such a case, there is a danger to circumcise him as he might lose all his blood. Rather, they should wait until his blood is absorbed into the flesh and then circumcise him.

Thus we learned: Rabbi Natan said, once I went to the cities by the sea.

A woman came before me and told me that she had circumcised her first son and he died, and her second son and he died, and she brought her third son before me.

I saw that he was red! I told her: Wait to circumcise him until the blood is absorbed into his flesh. She waited until his blood was absorbed, circumcised him, and he lived. They called him Natan HaBavli after me.

Again, once I went to the land of Cappadocia, and a woman came before me, who had circumcised her first and second sons and they died, and she brought her third son before me.

I saw that he was green. I looked at him and did not see the blood of the covenant! Besides the danger that if they had circumcised him, “blood of the covenant” would not have come out from him, and it is a Mitzvah that the blood should come out!

I told her: Wait until there is blood in his body! She waited, and afterwards she circumcised him and he lived. And they called him Natan HaBavli after me. [שבת קלד.]

His Sayings

Rabbi Natan says: A person who sells his ship, sells with it also the Beitzit, which is: when one wants to go ashore, they enter a small boat called Beitzit, and come with it to the shore, because the large ship cannot approach the shore because its bottom is deep.

Sumchus says: A person who sells his ship sells with it also the Dugit.

Rava clarifies: Rabbi Natan and Sumchus do not disagree, and Beitzit is the same as Dugit. How so! Rabbi Natan, who was a Babylonian and accustomed to speaking in Aramaic, and there, in the river of Meishan in Babylonia which was not deep, small boats sailed there and people called them: “Botziyata of Meishan.”

Sumchus, who was in the Land of Israel, calls it Dugit, as we find in the language of the verse: “and your remnant in fishing boats (dugot)” [Amos 4,2], which is: a small boat for fishermen.

With his colleague Rabbi Meir

Av Bet Din. - Scholar. Rabbi Natan - Nasi. Rabbi Meir - the Gemara states: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, initially, they used to do this: when Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel entered, everyone would stand before him. Similarly, when Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan entered, everyone would stand before them.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, who was the Nasi, said: Is there not supposed to be a distinction between me and them?! Of course, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel did not do it for his own honor, but so that there would be public awe for the Nasi!

Therefore, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel instituted the order of honors detailed in the Mishnah. And it is: when the Nasi enters, all the people stand and do not sit until the Nasi tells them to sit.

When the Av Bet Din enters, they form one row here and one row there, and only those sitting at the ends of the benches on both sides of the aisle remain standing before him until he sits in his place.

When a scholar enters, one stands and one sits, meaning: only when the scholar passes close to the one sitting, is the one sitting obligated to stand before him, and immediately when he has passed him, he may sit. Thus, all those sitting in his path stand and sit one after another.

On that day when Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel instituted this order, Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan were not in the Beit Midrash. The next day when they arrived, they saw that the congregation did not stand before them as usual! They asked what happened? They were told: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel instituted this.

Rabbi Meir said to Rabbi Natan, you are a scholar and Av Bet Din, let us do as they did to us!

Rabbi Natan asked what shall we do? Rabbi Meir told him, let us ask Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel to teach us Tractate Uktsin. I know that this tractate is not fluent on his tongue and he will not be able to fulfill our request. Then we will interpret the verse for him: “Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, or declare all His praise?” [Psalms 106,2] To whom is it fitting to utter the mighty acts of the Lord?! He who can declare all His praise!

Meaning, only one who knows the entire Talmud can boast, and not one who does not know Tractate Uktsin! And with this argument, we will remove him from his Nasi-ship.

I will be Av Bet Din in your place, and you will be Nasi in the place of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, and all will be well.

Rabbi Yaakov ben Korashi heard their plan and said: Heaven forbid that they should do this to the Nasi Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and shame him! Rabbi Yaakov went and sat behind Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel and studied Tractate Uktsin aloud, explaining the Mishnayot, then reviewed them again and again.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel heard this, and said: What is happening here! Since when does Rabbi Yaakov sit and study a tractate like this so that I should hear! Perhaps, Heaven forbid, someone is undermining me to do something against me! Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel paid attention and thoroughly studied Tractate Uktsin.

The next day, Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan came before Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel. They asked him to teach them Tractate Uktsin!

He opened and taught them Tractate Uktsin. After he finished, he asked them in wonder: If I had not taught you Tractate Uktsin, would you have shamed me?!

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel commanded to remove them from the Beit Midrash, and their questions were brought into the Beit Midrash on a note. The questions that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel did not answer, they wrote the answers and submitted them to the Beit Midrash.

Rabbi Yossi ben Chalafta said to the Sages in the Beit Midrash: Torah is outside and we are inside!?

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said we will let them back into the Beit Midrash, but we will fine them so that we will not state a teaching in their name!

Since then, the teachings of Rabbi Meir are stated in the name “Acheirim Omrim” (others say) and Rabbi Natan in the name “Yesh Omrim” (some say). From Heaven, it was shown to Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Natan in their dream that they should go and appease Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel! Rabbi Natan went, but Rabbi Meir said: Words of dreams neither raise nor lower, and he did not go.

When Rabbi Natan went to appease him, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel asked him in wonder: Why did you think you could be Nasi in my place?! Let’s say you could be Av Bet Din due to the importance of your father who was an Av Bet Din! But to also be Nasi, where did you get that idea?!

Thus the matter continued: Things that Rabbi Meir said, Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel taught to his son Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi in the phrase “Acheirim Omrim,” and Rabbi also taught Rabbi Meir’s words in this way.

Rabban Shimon, son of Rabbi, asked his father, who are these “others” from whom we drink of their waters, and whose names we do not mention?

Rabbi said to his son: These are people who sought to uproot your honor and the honor of your father’s house!

Rabban Shimon said to Rabbi his father: Since much time has passed since then, one should recite over this the verse: “Their love and their hatred and their envy have already perished!” [Ecclesiastes 9,6]

Rabbi his father said to him: Another verse should be recited here: “The enemy’s sword is gone forever!” [Psalms 9,7] Meaning: Even though the enemy no longer poses a threat, the destruction of the enemy should remain forever, and we should not return to mentioning them by their names.

Rabban Shimon said to his father: If their actions had benefited them, then they would have no lasting existence. But what they did did not ultimately benefit them! Rabbi then went back and taught his son Rabban Shimon the Mishnah in Rabbi Meir’s name.

Rava said: Even Rabbi, known for his humility, did not act with excessive humility and taught the Mishnah on behalf of Rabbi Meir, but not with the words: “Rabbi Meir said” in his Mishnah. [הוריות יג:]