Ulla or 'Ulla was a

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

ish

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 ...

ist and one of the leading Halakhic amoraim in 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 ...

during the late 3rd and early 4th centuries CE (the second and third amoraic generations).

Biography

In his youth he studied under R. Eleazar II, and he transmitted nine of his teacher's halakhic sayings. He was greatly respected for his learning; and during his visits to

Babylonia Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...

he seems to have been invited frequently by the Resh Galuta to deliver halakhic lectures. He traveled repeatedly to the Talmudic Academies in Babylonia; and on one of his journeys he was in danger of

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

by one of his companions, saving his life only by condoning the murder of another. Ulla rendered important decisions regarding the benedictions and the calculation of the

new moon In astronomy, the new moon is the first lunar phase, when the Moon and Sun have the same ecliptic longitude. At this phase, the lunar disk is not visible to the naked eye, except when it is silhouetted against the Sun during a solar eclipse. ...

, and was accustomed to promulgate his rulings in Babylonia when he went there. He was very strict in his interpretation of religious laws. On one occasion, when he heard R. Huna use an expression which he did not approve, he retorted, "As

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to et ...

to the

teeth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...

, and as

smoke Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwanted by-produc ...

eyes Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...

, so are the words of R. Huna." Only in the presence 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 ...

did Ulla hesitate to pronounce his opinions, generally waiting until Nachman had departed, although he frequently sought Nachman's company. Of his contemporaries with whom he engaged in controversies may be mentioned, besides R. Nachman, R. Abba, Abimi bar Papa,

Hiyya bar Ammi Hiyya may refer to: * Hiyya the Great (c. 180–230 CE), a first amora generation sage in the Land of Israel * Hiyya bar Abba, a third generation amoraic sage of the Land of Israel * Hiyya b. Abin Naggara, a Babylonian rabbi of the fourth generati ...

, and R. Judah. But his personal friend, with whom he associated most frequently, was

Rabbah bar bar Hana Rabbah bar bar Hana (רבה בר בר חנה) was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Babylonia, known as an Amora of the second generation. Biography He was the grandson of Hana and the brother of Hiyya. He went to Palestine and became a pupil of R ...

. In addition to the sayings of his teacher Eleazar, Ulla transmitted those of R. Hoshaiah,

Joshua ben Levi Joshua ben Levi (Yehoshua ben Levi) was an amora, a scholar of the Talmud, who lived in the Land of Israel in the first half of the third century. He lived and taught in the city of Lod. He was an elder contemporary of Johanan bar Nappaha an ...

, R. Johanan,

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 ...

, and

Shimon ben Lakish Shim‘on ben Lakish ( he, שמעון בן לקיש; arc, שמעון בר לקיש ''Shim‘on bar Lakish'' or ''bar Lakisha''), better known by his nickname Reish Lakish (c. 200 — c. 275), was an amora who lived in the Roman province of Juda ...

. His own sayings were transmitted by R.

Aha bar Adda AHA, Aha, or aha may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Aha!'' (TV program), an information and education TV program in the Philippines * a-ha, a Norwegian pop music band * ''Aha!'' (film), a 2007 Bangladeshi film * Aha (streaming se ...

, Hamnuna,

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 ...

, Hiyya bar Ammi, Raba bar Hinena,

Rav Chisda Rav Ḥisda ( he, רב חסדא) was a Jewish Talmudist who lived in Kafri, Asoristan in Lower Mesopotamia near what is now the city of Najaf, Iraq. He was an amora of the third generation (died c. 320 CE at the age of ninety-twoMoed Kattan 28a) ...

, Judah bar Ammi, and Joshua bar Abba. Raba appears to have been his only son. Ulla died in Babylonia, before his teacher R. Eleazar; but his remains were taken to Palestine for burial.

Quotes

* Jerusalem is only redeemed by

tzedakah ''Tzedakah'' or ''Ṣedaqah'' ( he, צדקה ) is a Hebrew word meaning "righteousness", but commonly used to signify ''charity''. This concept of "charity" differs from the modern Western understanding of "charity". The latter is typically un ...

. * Since the time of the Temple's destruction, the Holy One, blessed be He, has nothing in His world save only four cubits of

halacha ''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 comman ...

! (i.e. the

Divine Presence Divine presence, presence of God, Inner God, or simply presence is a concept in religion, spirituality, and theology that deals with the ability of God to be " present" with human beings. According to some types of monotheism God is omnipresen ...

is found wherever Israel observes Jewish law).Berakhot 8a
/ref>

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulla Talmud rabbis of the Land of Israel 3rd-century births 4th-century deaths Place of birth unknown