Samuel ben Nahman ( he, שמואל בן נחמן) or Samuel arNahmani ( he, שמואל �רנחמני) was a

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 ...

of the

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 ...

, known as an amora, who lived in the Land of Israel from the beginning of the 3rd century until the beginning of the 4th century.

Biography

He was a pupil of R. Jonathan ben Eleazar and one of the most famous

aggadists 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, ...

of his time. He was a native of the Land of Israel and may have known the patriarch Judah I. It appears that he went to Babylonia in his youth but soon returned to Israel. He seems to have gone to Babylon a second time in an official capacity in order to determine the intercalation of the year, which, for political reasons, could not be done in Israel. As an old man he went to the court of Empress

Zenobia Septimia Zenobia ( Palmyrene Aramaic: , , vocalized as ; AD 240 – c. 274) was a third-century queen of the Palmyrene Empire in Syria. Many legends surround her ancestry; she was probably not a commoner and she married the ruler of the city ...

(267-273) to petition her to pardon an orphaned youth who had committed a grave political crime. In the days of the patriarch

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 ...

, Samuel ben Nahman appears among the most intimate associates of the patriarch, with whom he went (286) to

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...

at Diocletian's order; later he joined the emperor at

Paneas Banias or Banyas ( ar, بانياس الحولة; he, בניאס, label=Modern Hebrew; Judeo-Aramaic, Medieval Hebrew: פמייס, etc.; grc, Πανεάς) is a site in the Golan Heights near a natural spring, once associated with the Greek g ...

. Of Samuel's sons two are known by name—Nahman and Hillel; sayings of both have been preserved.

Teachings

Samuel held a position of authority in the academy; to him is ascribed the rule that during the heat of the day instruction should be suspended. Due to his fame as an aggadist, questions were addressed to him by such authorities as the patriarch

, Simeon ben Jehozadak,

Rabbi Ammi Rabbi Ammi, Aimi, Immi (Hebrew: רבי אמי) is the name of several Jewish Talmudists, known as amoraim, who lived in the Land of Israel and Babylonia. In the Babylonian Talmud the first form only is used; in the Jerusalem Talmud all three fo ...

Hanina ben Pappa Hanina ben Pappa ( he, חנינה בר פפא) was a Jewish Talmudist living in the Land of Israel, halakhist, and aggadist who flourished in the 3rd and 4th centuries (third generation of amoraim). His name is variously written "Ḥanina", " ...

, and

Helbo Rabbi Helbo (רבי חלבו) was an amora who flourished about the end of the 3rd century, and who is frequently mentioned in both Talmuds. It seems that Helbo lived at first in Babylonia, where he studied under Rav Huna, the head of the Academy ...

. Among the transmitters of Samuel's sayings were

Levi II Levi II, or Rabbi Levi was a Jewish scholar of the 3rd century (third generation of amoraim). In a few cases he is quoted as Levi bar Laḥma (Hama). In later midrashim the title "Berabbi" is sometimes added to his name. Biography He was a contem ...

Abbahu Rabbi Abbahu ( he, אבהו) was a Jew and Talmudist of the Talmudic Academies in Syria Palaestina from about 279-320 and is counted a member of the third generation of Amoraim. He is sometimes cited as Rabbi Abbahu of Kisrin ( Caesarea). Biogra ...

, and

Eleazar ben Pedat Eleazar ben Pedat ( he, רבי אלעזר בן פדת) was a Jewish Talmudist, known as an amora, in the Land of Israel, of the 2nd and 3rd generation (third century). Biography He was a Babylonian by birth and of priestly descent. In his nati ...

. Samuel ben Naḥman's decisions and sayings concern the study of dogma, prayer, and Shabbat regulations; the history of Israel and the nations and empires; the laws regarding converts; Scripture; halakic exegesis; and Biblical characters and narratives. Other teachings of Samuel b. Nahman's refer to homiletics, to God and the world, and to

eschatology Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that nega ...

Dirges

Especially noteworthy is Samuel b. Naḥman's description of the grief of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and of Rachel, over the destruction of the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Lamentations Rabbah The Midrash on Lamentations or Eichah Rabbah (Hebrew: איכה רבה) is a midrashic commentary to the Book of Lamentations ("Eichah"). It is one of the oldest works of midrash, along with Bereshit Rabbah and the Pesiḳta ascribed to Rab Ka ...

, Pref. 24, end It is written in beautiful

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

prose, and is accompanied by dramatic

dirges A dirge ( la, dirige, naenia) is a somber song or lament expressing mourning or grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral. Often taking the form of a brief hymn, dirges are typically shorter and less meditative than elegi ...

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

. Then follow the dirges of all the Patriarchs, which they intone when Moses for the second time has communicated to them the sad tidings. Finally, Moses himself chants a lament, addressed partly to the sun and partly to the enemy.

References

It has the following bibliography: *Bacher, Ag. Pal. Amor. i. 477-551, ii., and iii. (see Index); * Frankel, Mebo, pp. 146 et seq.; *

Weiss, Dor Isaac (Isaak) Hirsch Weiss, also Eisik Hirsch Weiss () (9 February 1815 – 1 June 1905), was an Austrian Talmudist and historian of literature born at Groß Meseritsch, Habsburg Moravia. After having received elementary instruction in Hebre ...

, iii. 66; * Jellinek, B. H. vi. 104. {{DEFAULTSORT:Samuel Ben Nahman 3rd-century births 4th-century deaths Talmud rabbis of the Land of Israel