Rav Sheshet ( he, רב ששת) was a
amora of the third generation of the
Talmudic academies in Babylonia (then
Asoristan
Asoristan ( pal, 𐭠𐭮𐭥𐭥𐭮𐭲𐭭 ''Asōristān'', ''Āsūristān'') was the name of the Sasanian province of Assyria and Babylonia from 226 to 637.
Name
The Parthian name ''Asōristān'' (; also spelled ''Asoristan'', ''Asuristan' ...
, now
Lower Mesopotamia
Lower Mesopotamia is a historical region of Mesopotamia. It's located in the alluvial plain of Iraq from the Hamrin Mountains to the Faw Peninsula near the Persian Gulf.
In the Middle Ages it was also known as the ''Sawad'' and al-Jazira al-sfli ...
, Iraq). His name is sometimes read Shishat or Bar Shishat.
Biography
He was a colleague of
Rav Nachman
Rav Nachman bar Yaakov ( he, רב נחמן בר יעקב; died 320) was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an Amora of the third generation.
It is generally accepted that references to Rav Nachman in the Talmud refer to Rav Nach ...
, with whom he had frequent arguments concerning questions of
halakha
''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 commandm ...
. His teacher's name is not definitely known, but Rav Sheshet was an auditor at
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 ...
's lectures. It is certain that he was ''not'' a pupil of
Abba Arikha
Abba Arikha (175–247 CE; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: ; born: ''Rav Abba bar Aybo'', ), commonly known as Rav (), was a Jewish amora of the 3rd century. He was born and lived in Kafri, Asoristan, in the Sasanian Empire.
Abba Arikha establishe ...
(Rav), since certain sayings of his displeased him, he criticized them with a disrespect which he would not have shown toward his own teacher, saying: "he must have spoken thus when he was asleep".
Sheshet lived first at
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 ...
, where he used to study in the
Great Synagogue of Baghdad
The Great Synagogue of Baghdad ( ar, كنيس بغداد العظيم), also known as the Shaf ve’Yativ Synagogue, is traditionally believed to stand on the site of a synagogue built by King Jeconiah who was exiled from the Land of Israel to Bab ...
, going thence to
Mahuza
Al-Mada'in ( ar, المدائن, , ; ) was an ancient metropolis situated on the Tigris, Tigris River in modern-day Iraq. It was located between the ancient royal centers of Ctesiphon and Seleucia, and was founded by the Sasanian Empire, Sassanid ...
, and later to
Shilhe, where he founded an academy. He was feeble in body, but nevertheless had an iron will and great energy.
His learning
Although he was blind, he was compensated by a very retentive memory, for he knew by heart the entire body of
tannaitic
''Tannaim'' ( Amoraic Hebrew: תנאים , singular , ''Tanna'' "repeaters", "teachers") were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10–220 CE. The period of the ''Tannaim'', also referred to as the Mis ...
tradition, as well as its
amoraic
''Amoraim'' (Aramaic: plural or , singular ''Amora'' or ''Amoray''; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen") refers to Jewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 CE, who "said" or "told over" the teachin ...
interpretations. He hired a scholar ("tanna") acquainted with the
mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
and the
baraita
''Baraita'' (Aramaic: "external" or "outside"; pl. ''Barayata'' or ''Baraitot''; also Baraitha, Beraita; Ashkenazi: Beraisa) designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. ''Baraita'' thus refers to teachings "ou ...
to read them to him.
Rav Ḥisda, when he met Sheshet, used to tremble at the wealth of baraitot and maxims which Sheshet quoted. Sheshet also transmitted many sayings of the older tannaim, especially of
Eleazar ben Azariah
Eleazar ben Azariah ( he, אלעזר בן עזריה) was a 1st-century CE Jewish tanna, i.e. Mishnaic sage. He was of the second generation and a junior contemporary of Gamaliel II, Eliezer b. Hyrcanus, Joshua b. Hananiah, and Akiva.
Biogr ...
. In his teaching he always took tradition as his basis, and for every question laid before him for decision he sought a
mishnah
The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...
or
baraita
''Baraita'' (Aramaic: "external" or "outside"; pl. ''Barayata'' or ''Baraitot''; also Baraitha, Beraita; Ashkenazi: Beraisa) designates a tradition in the Jewish oral law not incorporated in the Mishnah. ''Baraita'' thus refers to teachings "ou ...
from which he might deduce the solution of the problem, his extensive knowledge of these branches of literature always enabling him to find the passage he required. His usual answer to a question was: "We have learned it in the Mishnah or in a baraita". When he had presented some sentence to the attention of his pupils, he used to ask immediately, "Whence have I this?" and would then add a mishnah or a baraita from which he had derived the decision in question.
In addition to his learning and his knowledge of tradition, Sheshet possessed much acuteness, and knew how to deduce conclusions from the teachings of tradition. Thus, in connection with his application of
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes (; hbo, קֹהֶלֶת, Qōheleṯ, grc, Ἐκκλησιαστής, Ekklēsiastēs) is one of the Ketuvim ("Writings") of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly use ...
7:11,
Rami bar Hama
Rami bar Hama (Hebrew: רמי בר חמא; ''Rami'' = ''R. Ami'') was a Babylonian amora of the third generation.
Biography
He was a pupil of Rav Chisda, and a fellow student of Rava, who was somewhat his junior.
He frequently addressed questi ...
said of him: "It is good when one possesses a keen understanding in addition to the inheritance of tradition". However, he was less subtle than his colleague Rav Ḥisda, and he appears to have been averse in general to the
casuistry
In ethics, casuistry ( ) is a process of reasoning that seeks to resolve moral problems by extracting or extending theoretical rules from a particular case, and reapplying those rules to new instances. This method occurs in applied ethics and ju ...
in vogue in the Academy of
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 ...
. When he heard any one make a quibbling objection he used to observe sarcastically: "Are you not from Pumbedita, where they draw an elephant through the eye of a needle?". Sheshet was on friendly terms with Rav Chisda, and the pair respected each other highly, traveled in company, and were together at the
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 ...
's.
His aggadah
Sheshet devoted much time to
Biblical exegesis
Biblical criticism is the use of critical analysis to understand and explain the Bible. During the eighteenth century, when it began as ''historical-biblical criticism,'' it was based on two distinguishing characteristics: (1) the concern to ...
, and whenever he recapitulated his studies, as was his custom at the end of every thirty days, he used to say: "Rejoice, my soul! rejoice, my soul! For your sake have I read the Holy Scriptures; and for your sake have I studied the Mishnah and the baraitot". On the other hand, he took comparatively little interest in
aggadah
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, ...
, and he himself acknowledged his shortcoming in this respect, saying: "I cannot dispute with
Hana
Hana or HANA may refer to:
Places Europe
* Haná, an ethnic region in Moravia, Czech Republic
* Traianoupoli, Greece, called Hana during the Ottoman period
* Hana, Norway, a borough in the city of Sandnes, Norway
West Asia
* Hana, Iran, a ci ...
on aggadah". Some of his aggadic interpretations of Biblical passages, referring for the most part to Torah study, have been preserved. Thus, he interpreted
Proverbs
A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic speech, formulaic language. A proverbial phra ...
11:25 as implying that whoever teaches in this world will have the good fortune to teach in the world to come also; and explained Proverbs 3:16 as meaning that whosoever studies in the right manner receives as his reward length of days in addition to riches and honor, but that he who studies in a fashion not altogether unimpeachable receives riches and honor without length of days. He frequently elucidated Biblical passages by the application of well-known proverbs.
Sheshet, who (as stated above) was blind, once mingled with a crowd waiting to see the entry of the king. A
heretic
Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...
(probably an adherent of
Manicheism
Manichaeism (;
in New Persian ; ) is a former major religionR. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 founded in the 3rd century AD by the Parthian prophet Mani (AD ...
, against which Sheshet polemized) taunted him with the remark that he certainly would not be able to see the king. Sheshet, however, put the heretic to shame by recognizing, despite his blindness, when the instant of the king's appearance was at hand. When the heretic, in his astonishment, asked Sheshet how he knew it, he received the answer: "The earthly kingdom resembles the heavenly; God's appearance, however, is announced in I
Kings
Kings or King's may refer to:
*Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings
*One of several works known as the "Book of Kings":
**The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts
**The ''Shahnameh'' ...
19:12-13 by a deep silence".
[ Berachot 58a]
References
It has the following bibliography:
*
Heilprin, Seder ha-Dorot
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 ...
, ii. 379-381;
*Weiss, Dor, iii. 181-182;
*
Grätz, Gesch.
Heinrich Graetz (; 31 October 1817 – 7 September 1891) was amongst the first historians to write a comprehensive history of the Jewish people from a Jewish perspective.
Born Tzvi Hirsch Graetz to a butcher family in Xions (now Książ Wielkopo ...
iv. 299-300;
*Bacher, Ag. Bab. Amor. pp. 76–79.
{{authority control
Talmud rabbis of Babylonia