Rav Giddel (or Gidal TANNAIM AND AMORAIM
jewishencyclopedia.com; List:Gidal or Giddul (B; 2) or Giddul;

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 ...

: רב גידל) was a second generation Amora sage of

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

and 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 ...

Biography

Rav ''Rav'' (or ''Rab,'' Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah; a Jewish spiritual guide; or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (1:6) states that: The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for ''rabbi''. (For a more nuan ...

was his principle teacher. Dozens of times he delivers Rav's teachings in 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 ...

- many of which he heard indirectly from his teacher

Hiyya bar Joseph Rav Hiyya bar Joseph (or Rav Hiyya bar Yosef; Hebrew: רבי חייא בר יוסף) was a Babylonian rabbi of the 3rd century (second generation of amoraim). Biography In Babylonia, he lived in a place called Sikara on the shore of the Tigri ...

, and in rare occasions he also delivers the work of R.

Ze'iri Zeiri was a rabbi who lived in the third century (second generation of amoraim). Biography He was born in Babylonia, and later sojourned for a while in Alexandria, before moving to Syria Palaestina, where he became a pupil of Rabbi Johanan. Dur ...

. After the death of Rav, Rav Giddel went to study under

Rav Huna Rav Huna (Hebrew: רב הונא) was a Jewish Talmud, Talmudist and Exilarch who lived in Babylonia, known as an Amoraim, amora of the second generation and head of the Talmudic Academies in Babylonia, Academy of Sura; he was born about 216 (212 ...

. It is told that Rav Huna gave lengthy lectures, and many of his students, among them Rav Giddel, restrained themselves from relieving themselves during the lessons, and became

infertile Infertility is the inability of a person, animal or plant to reproduce by natural means. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy adult, except notably among certain eusocial species (mostly haplodiploid insects). It is the normal state ...

as a result. Later on he moved to live in the Land of Israel, in the

beit midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth knes ...

Yochanan bar Nafcha :''See Johanan (name) for more rabbis by this name''. Johanan bar Nappaha ( he, יוחנן בר נפחא Yoḥanan bar Nafḥa; alt. sp. Napaḥa) (also known simply as Rabbi Yochanan, or as Johanan bar Nafcha) (lived 180-279 CE) was a leading r ...

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Fo ...

. Once, when Rav Giddel was in the process of buying a field, R. Abba came and purchased it first. The case came to the attention of R.

Isaac Nappaha Rabbi Isaac Nappaha (Hebrew ''Rabbi Yitzhak Nappaḥa'', רבי יצחק נפחא), or Isaac the smith, was a rabbi of the 3rd-4th centuries (second generation of Amoraim) who lived in the Galilee. Name He is found under the name "Nappaha" only in t ...

, who asked R. Abba: "If a poor man is examining a cake and another comes and takes it away from him, what then?", and R. Abba replied: "He is called a wicked man". R. Abba explained to R. Isaac Nappaha that he did not know that Rav Giddel was already eying the field, and now knowing this, he was ready to gift the field to Rav Giddel but not to sell it to him, since selling one's first field is a bad omen. Rav Giddel refused to accept it as a gift, in accordance with the verse: "he that hates gifts shall live", and R. Abba likewise refused to use the field. The field, abandoned by both parties, became known as "The Rabbis’ field" Rav Giddel was accustomed to go and sit at the gates of the bathing-place (were women would immerse), in order to teach the laws of

tevilah In Judaism, ritual washing, or ablution, takes two main forms. ''Tevilah'' (טְבִילָה) is a full body immersion in a mikveh, and ''netilat yadayim'' is the washing of the hands with a cup (see Handwashing in Judaism). References to rit ...

. When was asked by the Rabbis: "Is not the Master afraid lest his passion get the better of him?", he replied that he was not afraid since his passion does not control him.

Babylonian 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 ...

, Berakhot 20a

References

{{authority control Talmud rabbis of Babylonia Talmud rabbis of the Land of Israel