Simeon the Yemenite ( he, שמעון התֵּימָנִי, translit: ''Shimon HaTeimani'') or the variant Simeon of Timnah ( he, שמעון התִּימְנִי, translit=Shimon HaTimni) (fl. c. 80 - 120 CE) was a third-generation Tanna of possible Yemenite origin who was active in Judaea.

Life

He was one of the three Simeons who were considered among the great "students" of the generation before the

Bar Kokhba Revolt The Bar Kokhba revolt ( he, , links=yes, ''Mereḏ Bar Kōḵḇāʾ‎''), or the 'Jewish Expedition' as the Romans named it ( la, Expeditio Judaica), was a rebellion by the Jews of the Judea (Roman province), Roman province of Judea, led b ...

, the other two being Ben Azzai and Ben Zoma. His teachers were Rabbi

Joshua ben Hananiah Joshua ben Hananiah ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ ben Ḥánanyāh''; d. 131 CE), also known as Rabbi Yehoshua, was a leading tanna of the first half-century following the destruction of the Second Temple. He is the seventh-most-frequently mentioned sage in ...

, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon. He had a daily study session with Judah ben Baba. His teachings recorded in the Mishnah and Baraitot generally refer to matters of Halakhah, only a few being of an Aggadic nature. Renowned for his ability to solve complex issues, he was one of the most important sages of the Sanhedrin in Jabneh and was among the few who were proficient in seventy languages. He reportedly died at a young age before gaining ordination and is therefore never referred to as "Rabbi". He is noted for saying: "A

bastard Bastard may refer to: Parentage * Illegitimate child, a child born to unmarried parents ** Bastard (law of England and Wales), illegitimacy in English law People People with the name * Bastard (surname), including a list of people with that na ...

is anyone who is born from an llegalunion for which his parents are liable to kareth", and which teaching comes to exclude a single parent who gave birth to a child outside of wedlock, and whose child is often wrongly called "

" under common law.

Origin

There is a dispute regarding Rabbi Simeon's origin, whether he was from Yemen or from the Judean town of Timnah. This is due to a variant reading of the Hebrew word "" which can either be pronounced as ''"Teimani"'' or ''"Timni"''. A reference in tractate

Ketubot A ketubah (; he, כְּתוּבָּה) is a Jewish marriage contract. It is considered an integral part of a Jewish views of marriage, traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the b ...

is identified by Adin Steinsaltz as being ''"Shimon HaTimni''", named so after his native town of Timnah. This is a position taken by earlier commentators, such as Rashi (

Ta'anit A ta'anit or ta'anis (Mishnaic Hebrew: תענית) is a Fasting, fast in Judaism in which one abstains from all food and drink, including water. Purposes A Jewish fast may have one or more purposes, including: * Atonement for sins: Fasting is n ...

19a), Bartenura ( Mishnah Ta'anit 3, 7) and

Machzor Vitri Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry ( he, שמחה בן שמואל מויטרי; died 1105) was a French Talmudist of the 11th and 12th centuries, pupil of Rashi, and the compiler of ''Machzor Vitry''. He lived in Vitry-le-François. ''Machzor Vitry'' ' ...

. Steinsaltz suggest's he was active in his hometown, though he seems to have spent much of his time in the academy at Jabneh. Other commentators believe this ''tanna'' was from Yemen, a view taken by Jacob Emden. One attempt to reconcile the issue based on a list of ''tannaim'' prepared by Maimonides suggests that there were in fact two rabbis, one from Yemen and one from Timnah. Another view suggests that he was from Teman, an important city of ancient Edom, a view ratified by the ''

Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on th ...

'' which calls him "Simeon of Teman".

Selection of teachings

*Simeon the Yemenite said: It was due to the observance of circumcision that God divided the Sea for them. *Simeon the Yemenite said: They also sound the horn in the case of pestilence, but the Sages did not agree with him.

External links

SIMEON OF TEMAN

; Article

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simeon The Yemenite Talmud rabbis of the Land of Israel Yemenite rabbis 1st-century rabbis 2nd-century rabbis