Pum-Nahara Academy (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: ישיבת פום נהרא) was a Jewish
Yeshiva
A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...
academy in
Babylon
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
, during the era of the Jewish
Amora sages, in the town of
Pum-Nahara,
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. ...
, that was within the area of jurisdiction of
Sura city, and was situated on the east bank of the "Sura" river, nearby the Sura river's
estuary
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
to the
Tigris
The Tigris () is the easternmost of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of the Armenian Highlands through the Syrian and Arabian Deserts, and empties into the ...
river,
[Yud Shin Tzuri, "History of the Hebrew public law - the reign of the Exilarchs and the Yeshivas (The times of Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak the Rosh Kala and dean of the Yeshiva academy), Mitzpeh Publications, 1938 .] and thus it was granted its name (Pum = in Aramaic "mouth" or "lips" (i.e. "waterside"); Nahara = River; Hence, "The waterside of the River"). According to the
Talmud
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 cente ...
, the Jewish community in Pum-Nahara city, were poor. The dean of the Yeshiva academy, that was third in the line of importance (after
Pumbedita
Pumbedita (sometimes Pumbeditha, Pumpedita, or Pumbedisa; arc, פוּמְבְּדִיתָא ''Pūmbəḏīṯāʾ'', "The Mouth of the River,") was an ancient city located near the modern-day city of Fallujah, Iraq. It is known for having hosted t ...
and
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 ...
academies), out of four Yeshiva academies that existed at the time 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. ...
, was
Rav Kahana III, who was the Rabbi teacher of
Rav Ashi
Rav Ashi ( he, רב אשי) ("Rabbi Ashi") (352–427) was a Babylonian Jewish rabbi, of the sixth generation of amoraim. He reestablished the Academy at Sura and was the first editor of the Babylonian Talmud.
Biography
According to a trad ...
, and a disciple of
Rabbah bar Nahmani
Rabbah bar Nachmani ( he, רבה בר נחמני) (died c. 320 CE) was a Jewish Talmudist known throughout the Talmud simply as Rabbah. He was a third-generation '' amora'' who lived in Babylonia.
Biography
Rabbah was a kohen descended from Eli ...
("Rabbah"). Rav Kahana III also resided at Pum-Nahara (and thus also known as ''Rav Kahana of Pum-Nahara'').
[''" R. Kahana did make a lament for R. Zebid of Nehardea at Pum-Nahara"'', B. ]Talmud
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 cente ...
, tractate Mo'ed Katan
Mo'ed Katan or Mo'ed Qatan (Hebrew: מועד קטן, lit. "little festival") is the eleventh tractate of ''Seder Moed'' of the Mishnah and the Talmud. It is concerned with the laws of the days between the first and last days of Passover and Sukk ...
, 27b One may note some additional Jewish
Amora sages that resided and were active at the time at Pum-Nahara, and among them: R.
Aha b. Rab,
who later became an
Exilarch
The exilarch was the leader of the Jewish community in Persian Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) during the era of the Parthians, Sasanians and Abbasid Caliphate up until the Mongol invasion of Baghdad in 1258, with intermittent gaps due to ongoing ...
, as well as
Rab b. Shaba.
See also
*
History of the Jews in Iraq
The history of the Jews in Iraq ( he, יְהוּדִים בָּבְלִים, ', ; ar, اليهود العراقيون, ) is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c. 586 BC. Iraqi Jews constitute one of the world's oldest and mos ...
*
Talmudic Academies in Babylonia
**
Firuz Shapur
Anbar ( ar, الأنبار, al-Anbār, syr, ܐܢܒܐܪ, Anbar,) also known by its original ancient name, Peroz-Shapur, was an ancient and medieval town in central Iraq. It played a role in the Roman–Persian Wars of the 3rd–4th centuries, ...
, modern-day Anbar, a town adjacent or identical to Nehardea; academy of Pumbedita was moved to this town for half of the 6th century
**
Mahuza
Al-Mada'in ( ar, المدائن, , ; ) was an ancient metropolis situated on the Tigris River in modern-day Iraq. It was located between the ancient royal centers of Ctesiphon and Seleucia, and was founded by the Sassanid Empire. The city's na ...
, modern-day Al-Mada'in; the academy of Pumbedita was relocated to Mahuza during the time of the Amora sage
Rava
**
Nehardea Academy
Nehardea Academy (Hebrew: ישיבת נהרדעא; Previously also named: Beth Hamidrash/The College /The House of Study Aramic: ''בי מדרשא''
">Aramic.html" ;"title="Aramic">Aramic: ''בי מדרשא''
or The Boundary Aramic: ''תחומא ...
(in
Nehardea
Nehardea or Nehardeah ( arc, נהרדעא, ''nəhardəʿā'' "river of knowledge") was a city from the area called by ancient Jewish sources Babylonia, situated at or near the junction of the Euphrates with the Nahr Malka (the Royal Canal), one ...
)
**
Pumbedita Academy
Pumbedita Academy or Pumbedita Yeshiva ( he, ישיבת פומבדיתא; sometimes ''Pumbeditha'', ''Pumpedita'', ''Pumbedisa'') was a yeshiva in Babylon during the era of the Amoraim and Geonim sages. It was founded by Judah bar Ezekiel (220– ...
(in
Pumbedita
Pumbedita (sometimes Pumbeditha, Pumpedita, or Pumbedisa; arc, פוּמְבְּדִיתָא ''Pūmbəḏīṯāʾ'', "The Mouth of the River,") was an ancient city located near the modern-day city of Fallujah, Iraq. It is known for having hosted t ...
for most of its history, near modern-day
Fallujah
Fallujah ( ar, ٱلْفَلُّوجَة, al-Fallūjah, Iraqi pronunciation: ) is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jew ...
)
**
Sura Academy, in
Sura (city)
Sura ( syr, ܫܘܪܐ) was a city in the southern part of the area called by ancient Jewish sources Babylonia, located east of the Euphrates. It was well-known for its agricultural produce, which included grapes, wheat, and barley. It was also a ...
- the political center of Jewish Babylonia after Nehardea
*
Talmudic Academies in Syria Palaestina
The Talmudic Academies in Syria Palaestina were ''yeshivot'' that served as centers for Jewish scholarship and the development of Jewish law in Syria Palaestina (and later Palaestina Prima and Palaestina Secunda) between the destruction of the Se ...
(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 Isra ...
)
References
{{reflist, 2
Talmudic Academies in Babylonia
Jewish Babylonian history
Jewish educational organizations
Religious academies in Babylon
Talmud
Chazal