Rabbi Simlai ( he, רבי שמלאי) was a

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 ce ...

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

who lived in Palestine in the 3rd century (second generation of amoraim). He was born in either Lod or Babylonia. He later moved to the Galilee, where he served as an aide to

Rabbi Yannai Rabbi Yannai (or Rabbi Jannai; he, רבי ינאי) was an '' amora'' who lived in the 3rd century, and of the first generation of the ''Amoraim'' of the Land of Israel. Biography A genealogical chart found at Jerusalem traced his descent from E ...

. He studied in

Tzippori Tzippori () is a moshav in northern Israel, in the Lower Galilee. The moshav is within the jurisdiction of the Jezreel Valley Regional Council. The moshav is located at the site of the ancient settlement of Sepphoris, after which it was named. H ...

under

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 ...

and

Hanina bar Hama Hanina bar Hama (died c. 250) ( he, חנינא בר חמא) was a Jewish Talmudist, halakhist and aggadist frequently quoted in the Babylonian and the Jerusalem Talmud, and in the Midrashim. He is generally cited by the name R. Hanina, but some ...

. He then studied under Rabbi

Judah II Judah II or Nesi'ah I was a Jewish sage who lived in Tiberias in the Land of Israel, in the middle of the third century CE. He is mentioned in the classical works of Judaism's Oral Torah, the Mishnah and Talmud. There he is variously called "Ju ...

, the grandson of Judah haNasi. He attempted in vain to induce

to abrogate the prohibition against using bread prepared by pagans. Late in life he moved to Babylonia. He was a famous

aggadist 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 the calculation of 613 Mitzvot is attributed to him. According to the Palestinian tradition, he frequently debated the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

Genesis Rabbah Genesis Rabbah (Hebrew: , ''B'reshith Rabba'') is a religious text from Judaism's classical period, probably written between 300 and 500 CE with some later additions. It is a midrash comprising a collection of ancient rabbinical homiletical inter ...

8:9; Yerushalmi Brachot 9:1

References

Talmud rabbis of the Land of Israel 3rd-century rabbis {{Israel-rabbi-stub