Honi HaMe'agel () was a 1st-century BCE

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish scholar prior to the age of the ''

tannaim ''Tannaim'' ( Amoraic Hebrew: תנאים "repeaters", "teachers", singular ''tanna'' , borrowed from Aramaic) were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10–220 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also refe ...

'', the scholars from whose teachings the

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...

was derived. During this period, a variety of religious movements and splinter groups developed amongst the Jews in

Judea Judea or Judaea (; ; , ; ) is a mountainous region of the Levant. Traditionally dominated by the city of Jerusalem, it is now part of Palestine and Israel. The name's usage is historic, having been used in antiquity and still into the pres ...

. Several individuals claimed to be miracle workers in the tradition of

Elijah Elijah ( ) or Elias was a prophet and miracle worker who lived in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab (9th century BC), according to the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah defended the worsh ...

and

Elisha Elisha was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a Jewish prophet and a wonder-worker. His name is commonly transliterated into English as Elisha via Hebrew, Eliseus via Greek and Latin, Ełishe (Yeghishe/Elisha) via Armenian or Alyasa via Arabic, a ...

, the ancient Jewish prophets. The Babylonian and

Jerusalem Talmud The Jerusalem Talmud (, often for short) or Palestinian Talmud, also known as the Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century Jewish oral tradition known as the Mishnah. Naming this version of the Talm ...

s both provide examples of such Jewish miracle workers, including Honi, such as in Jerusalem Talmud '' Taanit'' 3:10, 66d and Babylonian Talmud '' Taanit'' 19a; 23a.

Circle drawing incident

His surname is derived from an incident in which, according to the

Babylonian Talmud The Talmud (; ) 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 centerpiece of Jewi ...

, his prayer for rain was miraculously answered. On one occasion, when

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

did not send rain well into the winter (in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, it rains mainly in the winter), Honi drew a circle in the dust, stood inside it, and informed God that he would not move until it rained. When it began to drizzle, Honi told God that he was not satisfied and expected more rain; it then began to pour. He explained that he wanted a calm rain, at which point the rain calmed to a normal rain. He was almost put into '' herem'' (excommunication) for the above incident in which he showed "dishonor" to God, as if he had imposed himself upon God. However,

Simeon ben Shetach Simeon ben Shetach, or Shimon ben Shetach or Shatach (), ''circa'' 140-60 BCE, was a Pharisee scholar and Nasi of the Sanhedrin during the reigns of Alexander Jannæus (c. 103-76 BCE) and his successor, Queen Salome Alexandra (c. 76-67 BCE), wh ...

, the brother of

Salome Alexandra Salome Alexandra, also ''Shlomtzion'', ''Shelamzion'' (; , ''Šəlōmṣīyyōn'', "peace of Zion"; 141–67 BC), was a regnant queen of Judaea, one of only three women in Jewish historical tradition to rule over the country, the other tw ...

queen regnant A queen regnant (: queens regnant) is a female monarch, equivalent in rank, title and position to a king. She reigns ''suo jure'' (in her own right) over a realm known as a kingdom; as opposed to a queen consort, who is married to a reigning ...

of Hasmonean Judah, excused him, saying that Honi had a special relationship with God. Two variations of this story appear in the Talmud, in Taanit 19a and 23a.

Extended sleep story

Two variations of a story are recorded—in the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmuds—in which Honi fell asleep for decades before awakening. The story provides a Jewish version on the theme of a person or persons (as the

Seven Sleepers The Seven Sleepers (; ), also known in Christendom as Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, and in Islam as Aṣḥāb al-Kahf (اصحاب الکهف, ''aṣḥāb al-kahf'', lit. Companions of the Cave), is a Late antiquity, late antique Christianity, ...

) sleeping for many decades and waking to find a changed world—a theme originating in the story of

Epimenides Epimenides of Knossos (or Epimenides of Crete) (; ) was a semi-mythical 7th- or 6th-century BC Greek seer and philosopher-poet, from Knossos or Phaistos. Life While tending his father's sheep, Epimenides is said to have fallen asleep for fifty ...

—found in many divergent cultures and traditions, and in modern times associated especially with the

Rip Van Winkle "Rip Van Winkle" () is a short story by the American author Washington Irving, first published in 1819. It follows a Dutch-American villager in Colonial history of the United States, colonial America named Rip Van Winkle who meets mysterious Du ...

story.

In the Babylonian Talmud (Carob tree story)

The

tells the following story, in which Honi slept for 70 years, before awaking and then dying:

Descendants

The Babylonian Talmud Taanit 23b:8 refers to Honi as the maternal grandfather of Hanan ha-Nehba. . The Babylonian Talmud Taanit.23a.18 says

Abba Hilkiah Abba Hilkiah (or Abba Hilkiahu; , ''Abba helkia'') was a '' tannaic'' sage, and a grandson of Honi HaMe'agel. The Talmud cites him as exceptionally scrupulous in his work and behavior. Just like his well-known grandfather, who was known for his a ...

is the paternal grandson of Honi.

In the Jerusalem Talmud

In the

, the circle-drawing story is notably missing (except in the

), and the sleep theme does not manifest as the carob story. Instead, the story is about Honi sleeping in a cave for seventy years, then returning to see that the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...

had been rebuilt, where he was able to prove his identity: Unlike the Babylonian Talmud story, the account in the Jerusalem Talmud does not describe Honi's death. This more closely resembles the

sleep story in which Epimenides can pass on his message. According to one source, this difference could be specifically because of the two pieces this story is based on: Honi's death in

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...

and the Epimenides sleep theme. The idea would be that in the Jerusalem Talmud's case, the author more closely followed the Epimenides story to get their point across, while in the Babylonian Talmud, the author had a more metaphorical approach to his death in Josephus. The story of Honi the Circle-Maker is also quoted in ''

Midrash Tehillim Midrash Tehillim (Hebrew: מדרש תהלים), also known as Midrash Psalms or Midrash Shocher Tov, is an aggadic midrash to the Psalms. Midrash Tehillim can be divided into two parts: the first covering Psalms 1–118, the second covering 119� ...

'', chapter 126.

Death

According to Josephus in ''

Antiquities of the Jews ''Antiquities of the Jews'' (; , ''Ioudaikē archaiologia'') is a 20-volume historiographical work, written in Greek, by the Roman-Jewish historian Josephus in the 13th year of the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian, which was 94 CE. It cont ...

'', Honi met his end in the context of conflict between the Hasmonean brothers

Hyrcanus II John Hyrcanus II (, ''Yohanan Hurqanos''; died 30 BCE), a member of the Hasmonean dynasty, was for a long time the Jewish High Priest in the 1st century BCE. He was also briefly King of Judea 67–66 BCE and then the ethnarch (ruler) of J ...

, backed by the

Pharisees The Pharisees (; ) were a Jews, Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70), destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became ...

and advised by

Antipater the Idumaean Antipater I the Idumaean (113 or 114 BCE – 43 BCE) was the founder of the Herodian dynasty and father of Herod the Great. According to Josephus, he was the son of Antipas and had formerly held that name. A native of Edom, Idumaea (a region sout ...

, and

Aristobulus II Aristobulus II (, ''Aristóboulos'') was the Jewish High Priest and King of Judea, 66 BCE to 63 BCE, from the Hasmonean dynasty. Family Aristobulus was the younger son of Alexander Jannaeus, King and High Priest, and Salome Alexandra. After ...

, backed by the

Sadducees The Sadducees (; ) were a sect of Jews active in Judea during the Second Temple period, from the second century BCE to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE. The Sadducees are described in contemporary literary sources in contrast to ...

. Around 63 BCE, Honi was captured by the followers of Hyrcanus besieging Jerusalem and was asked to pray for the demise of their opponents. Honi, however, prayed: "Lord of the universe, as the besieged and the besiegers both belong to Your people, I beseech You not to answer the evil prayers of either." After this, the followers of Hyrcanus stoned him to death. The Babylonian Talmud records a different story of his death, as part of the aforementioned carob tree story. Scholars like

Maharsha Shmuel Eidels (1555 – 1631) ( Shmuel Eliezer HaLevi Eidels) was a renowned rabbi and Talmudist famous for his commentary on the Talmud, ''Chiddushei Halachot''. Eidels is also known as Maharsha (, a Hebrew acronym for "Our Teacher, the Rabbi Shm ...

reconcile the accounts by suggesting that Josephus reflects popular belief, while the Talmud preserves the true story, using synthesis to harmonize the narratives. Rabbi Jehiel Heilprin in '' Seder HaDoroth'' proposes that there were two figures named Honi, one from each account, effectively resolving the contradiction. Modern scholars like Zvi Ron allegorize the Talmudic story, interpreting it as a

moral A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. ...

lesson about the consequences of refusing to mediate conflict, while Moshe Simon-Shoshan rejects the Talmudic account as ahistorical, viewing it as a

literary Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing. In recent centuries, ...

construct. Likewise, Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein paper demonstrates how different approaches (such as synthesis, allegorization, and rejection) can be used to address discrepancies in rabbinic historical accounts, highlighting the flexibility and creativity required to reconcile rabbinic and external sources. Honi's grave is found near the town of Hatzor HaGlilit in northern Israel. His

Yahrzeit Yahrzeit (, plural , ) is the anniversary of a death in Judaism. It is traditionally commemorated by reciting the Kaddish in synagogue and by lighting a long-burning candle. Name The word ''Yahrzeit'' is a borrowing from the Yiddish (), ul ...

is 5 Iyar.

Explanation of the word HaMe'agel

"HaMe'agel" in Hebrew means "circle maker". Samuel Klein suggested that the term "circle maker" relates to Honi's profession as a roofer (in Hebrew Me'agel). It was customary for sages in the Talmud to be called by their profession.Klein, Shmuel. ''Some Mistakes in the Interpretation of Names and Places in Zion'', Yedioth Society of Eretz Israel History and Ethnography, 1901 Rollers for compressing plaster and mud on roofs during the

Hellenistic period In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

were found at

Mount Gerizim Mount Gerizim ( ; ; ; , or ) is one of two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the State of Palestine, Palestinian city of Nablus and the biblical city of Shechem. It forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated, the nor ...

. In the time of Honi, these rollers are the tools of the trade for a me'agel/circle maker/roofer. The Mishna in Maakot 2:1 calls this roofer a "circle maker" ("me'agel"). The term circle maker has a double meaning - profession and a label to describe Honi's drawing circles to interact with God. Seder HaDoroth however, writes that the name is

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

ic, as Honi was from a town named Maglu (see ''Seder HaTanna'im VehaAmora'im'').

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Honi HaMe'agel Mishnah rabbis 1st-century BCE rabbis Talmud rabbis of Syria Palaestina Sleep in mythology and folklore