Rabbi Helbo (רבי חלבו) was an amora who flourished about the end of the 3rd century, and who is frequently mentioned in both

Talmuds The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the center ...

. It seems that Helbo lived at first in

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c ...

, where he studied under

Rav Huna Rav Huna (Hebrew: רב הונא) was a Jewish Talmudist and Exilarch who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the second generation and head of the Academy of Sura; he was born about 216 (212 according to Gratz) and died in 296-297 (608 of ...

, the head of the Academy of

Sura A ''surah'' (; ar, سورة, sūrah, , ), is the equivalent of "chapter" in the Qur'an. There are 114 ''surahs'' in the Quran, each divided into '' ayats'' (verses). The chapters or ''surahs'' are of unequal length; the shortest surah ('' Al-K ...

, and that, like the other Babylonian amoraim, he was called "Rav". Later he settled in the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isr ...

, where he was ordained rabbi.

Teachings

He is mentioned as having spoken in the names of

Avdimi of Haifa Avdimi of Haifa ( he, , translit: ''Avdimi d'min Haifa''; in the Jerusalem Talmud: , translit: ''Avduma d'Haifa''; hebraized form of grc, Εὔδημος, ''Eudēmos'') was among the greatest of the ''amoraim'' of Eretz Israel

and Hama bar Ukva. In Palestine he consulted on

halakhic ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...

matters R. Isaac Nappaha and R. Shmuel bar Nahmani. Helbo handed down many

aggadic Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism ...

sayings of Shmuel bar Nahmani. He is mentioned in the Talmud as a teacher of ethics, his sayings being delivered in the name of

. Among them may be quoted: * "He who goes out of the synagogue must not take long steps" Berachot 6b * "One should pay great attention to the Minhah prayer" * "He who enjoys the banquet of a bridegroom without gladdening the latter commits a five-fold sin" * "He who sees a torn scroll of the Pentateuch must rend his garment in two places" Helbo also said, in the name of

Ulla Ulla is a given name. It is short for Ursula in German-speaking countries and Ulrika/Ulrikke in Scandinavian countries. As of 31 December 2011, there were 61,043 females named Ulla in Sweden, with the name being most popular during the 1930s a ...

, that one who sees the ruined cities of Judah must recite In

Genesis Rabbah Genesis Rabbah (Hebrew: , ''B'reshith Rabba'') is a religious text from Judaism's classical period, probably written between 300 and 500 CE with some later additions. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical inter ...

, in the name of R. Eleazar, Helbo is mentioned as a traditionist with R. Berechiah and R. Ammi. Rabbi Helbo held a discouraging view of

converts to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( he, גיור, ''giyur'') is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. " ...

: "Converts are more difficult for Israel than a sore."

Other rabbis named Helbo

A Helbo b. Hilfa b. Samkai is also mentioned, who may be identical with the Helbo in this article. There is also reference to a R. Helbo b. Hanan.Yerushalmi Berachot 7:1

References

It has the following bibliography: * Abraham Zacuto, Yuhasin, ed. Filipowski; *

Jehiel Heilprin Jehiel ben Solomon Heilprin ( he, יחיאל היילפרין; c. 1660 – c. 1746) was a Lithuanian rabbi, kabalist, and chronicler. Biography He was a descendant of Solomon Luria, and traced his genealogy back through Rashi to the tanna Johana ...

, Seder ha-Dorot, ii.; * W. Bacher, Ag. Pal. Amor. iii. 54-63. {{Amoraim

Helbo Rabbi Helbo (רבי חלבו) was an amora who flourished about the end of the 3rd century, and who is frequently mentioned in both Talmuds. It seems that Helbo lived at first in Babylonia, where he studied under Rav Huna, the head of the Academy ...

3rd-century rabbis