Bevai bar Abaye ( arc, ) was a

Jewish 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""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 cente ...

ist who lived in

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. ...

, known as an amora of the fourth and fifth amoraic generations (fourth century CE).

Biography

He was the son of the celebrated

Abaye Abaye ( he, אַבַּיֵי) was a rabbi of the Jewish Talmud who lived in Babylonia, known as an Amoraim, amora of the fourth generation. He was born about the close of the third century, and died 337 Common Era, CE. Biography His father, Kaylil ...

, and presiding judge in

Pumbedita Pumbedita (sometimes Pumbeditha, Pumpedita, or Pumbedisa; arc, פוּמְבְּדִיתָא ''Pūmbəḏīṯāʾ'', "The Mouth of the River,") was an ancient city located near the modern-day city of Fallujah, Iraq. It is known for having hosted t ...

, where his father had directed the Talmudic Academy. Some

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 ...

nic chronologists suggest his identity with Bebai II ( Bevai bar Abin), which, however, is chronologically incorrect, the latter having been a fellow-pupil of

Rav Yosef Rav Yosef bar Hiyya ( he, רב יוסף בר חייא), or simply Rav Yosef, was a Babylonian rabbi of the third generation of amoraim. Biography He was a student of Judah bar Ezekiel and was Abaye's teacher, and a scholarly disputant (''bar plu ...

, whereas Bebai ben Abaye was a contemporary of Nahman ben Isaac, Kahana III,

Pappi In Asteraceae, the pappus is the modified calyx, the part of an individual floret, that surrounds the base of the corolla tube in flower. It functions as a wind-dispersal mechanism for the seeds. The term is sometimes used for similar s ...

, and Huna ben Joshua. As Abaye was a scion of the priestly house of

Eli Eli most commonly refers to: * Eli (name), a given name, nickname and surname * Eli (biblical figure) Eli or ELI may also refer to: Film * ''Eli'' (2015 film), a Tamil film * ''Eli'' (2019 film), an American horror film Music * ''Eli'' (Jan ...

, which was doomed to premature death, both Pappi and Huna ben Joshua frequently taunted Bebai with being descended from frail (short-lived) stock, and therefore with uttering frail, untenable arguments. Bebai bar Abaye seems to have led a contemplative life; and legend relates some curious stories about him.''Hagigah'' 4b; ''Berakhot'' 6a and 8b; ''Eruvin'' 8a; ''Shabbat'' 3b, 4a; ''Hullin'' 43b; ''Keritot'' 3b; ''Zevachim'' 107a.

References

Talmud rabbis of Babylonia 4th-century rabbis {{MEast-rabbi-stub