Rabbi Shimon bar Abba was an amora of the second generation (3rd century CE). He was a

kohen Kohen ( he, , ''kōhēn'', , "priest", pl. , ''kōhănīm'', , "priests") is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. Levitical priests or ''kohanim'' are traditionally b ...

, and a student-colleague of

Rabbi Yochanan :''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 ...

. He was known for his righteousness. Even though he was knowledgeable in evaluating the worth of gemstones, he never became rich, but being a kohen, he was able to sustain himself from

maaser A tithe (; from Old English: ''teogoþa'' "tenth") is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash or cheques or more ...

. It is said that a rich landowner named Eliposa wanted to give him maaser, but Shimon was hesitant to accept it due to uncertainty whether Eliposa was reliable in following the laws of

terumot Terumot ( he, תְּרוּמוֹת, lit. "Priestly dues" and often, "heave-offering") is the sixth tractate of ''Seder Zeraim'' ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Jerusalem Talmud. This tractate discusses the laws of teruma, a gift of ...

and maasrot. Only after Rabbi Yochanan testified to Eliposa's reliability did Shimon accept the maaser. He may have been a relative or even brother of R.

Hiyya bar Abba Ḥiyya bar Abba (Aramaic: רבי חייא בר אבא), Ḥiyya bar Ba (Aramaic: רבי חייא בר בא), or Ḥiyya bar Wa (Aramaic: רבי חייא בר ווא) was a third generation ''amoraic'' sage of the Land of Israel, of priestly des ...

Saul Lieberman Saul Lieberman (Hebrew: שאול ליברמן, May 28, 1898 – March 23, 1983), also known as Rabbi Shaul Lieberman or, among some of his students, The ''Gra"sh'' (''Gaon Rabbeinu Shaul''), was a rabbi and a Talmudic scholar. He served as Professo ...

, ''Greek and Greekness in the Land of Israel'', Jerusalem: Bialik, 1962, p.18 Tractates Shabbat (119b) and Sanhedrin (70a) mention a Babylonian sage known as Rav Amram son of Rabbi Shimon bar of Abba.

References

3rd-century rabbis {{rabbi-stub