Rav Yosef bar Hiyya ( he, רב יוסף בר חייא), or simply Rav Yosef, was a
Babylonian rabbi of the third generation of
amoraim
''Amoraim'' (Aramaic language, Aramaic: plural or , singular ''Amora'' or ''Amoray''; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen") refers to Jewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 Common Era, CE, who "sai ...
.
Biography
He was a student of
Judah bar Ezekiel
Judah bar Ezekiel (220–299 CE) (Hebrew: יהודה בן יחזקאל); often known as Rav Yehudah, was a Babylonian amora of the 2nd generation.
Biography
Judah was the most prominent disciple of Rav, in whose house he often stayed, and whose ...
and was
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 ...
's teacher, and a scholarly disputant (''bar plugata'') of
Rabbah
Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 as of 2021, Amman i ...
. When his teacher Judah died, Yosef was expected to take Judah's place as head of the Pumbedita yeshiva, due to his excellent knowledge of rabbinic law (as opposed to Rabbah, who excelled in analysis rather than knowledge). Yosef, however, refused to take the position. Rabbah took it instead, at the age of 18, and held it until his death at the age of 40. At this point Yosef agreed to become head of the yeshiva. He held this position for two years, until his own death.
Yosef was accustomed to recite a sermon on Shabbat before the
Mussaf
Mussaf (also spelled Musaf or Musof) is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to the ...
prayer.
Despite being blind, Yosef managed to accumulate an exceptional knowledge of both written and
oral Torah
According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law ( he, , Tōrā šebbəʿal-pe}) are those purported laws, statutes, and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah ( he, , Tōrā šebbīḵ ...
. When some of the canonical Biblical translations were forgotten, he managed to restore them from his memory. However, at one point he contracted a disease which caused him to forget his studies. With the help of his main student,
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 ...
, he was then able to reconstruct his knowledge.
He was greatly respected by his students
Rava and
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 ...
.
He is recorded as speaking, paradoxically, of his own humility: "
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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 ...
died, there is no more humility or fear of sin [in the world]. Rav Yosef said to him: Do not teach this regarding humility, for there is still me."