Shim’on ben Menasya () was a Jewish rabbi who lived in the late 2nd-early 3rd centuries (fourth and fifth generations of
Tannaim
''Tannaim'' ( Amoraic Hebrew: תנאים "repeaters", "teachers", singular ''tanna'' , borrowed from Aramaic) were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in the Mishnah, from approximately 10–220 CE. The period of the Tannaim, also refe ...
).
Biography
He was a contemporary of R.
Judah ha-Nasi
Judah ha-Nasi (, ''Yəhūḏā hanNāsīʾ''; Yehudah HaNasi or Judah the Prince or Judah the President) or Judah I, known simply as Rebbi or Rabbi, was a second-century rabbi (a tanna of the fifth generation) and chief redactor and editor of ...
, with whom he engaged in a halakhic dispute. He was somewhat older than Judah, yet he immensely respected Judah and spoke in Judah's praise.
He and
Jose ben Meshullam formed a group called "Kahal Kadosh" (the Holy Community) or "Edah Kedosha", because its members devoted one-third of the day to the study of the Torah, one-third to prayer, and the remaining third to work. The group is recorded as being located in Jerusalem, surprising given that
Hadrian
Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...
banned Torah study and practice in Jerusalem after the
Bar Kochba revolt
The Bar Kokhba revolt (132–136 AD) was a major uprising by the Jews of Judaea against the Roman Empire, marking the final and most devastating of the Jewish–Roman wars. Led by Simon bar Kokhba, the rebels succeeded in establishing an ind ...
. Modern scholarly opinions differ on whether the ban was eventually rescinded, not enforced, or if this community carried on their activities secretly and in great danger.
Teachings
Halacha
He is mentioned once in the Mishnah, though some consider this a later addition. Some halakhic teachings by him have been preserved elsewhere. Following Proverbs 17:14, Simeon says that a judge may call upon the parties to accept a compromise; but once the judge has heard the statements of both parties, or made up his mind as to the nature of his decision, he must decide according to the letter of the law.
Aggadah
Referring to Psalms 44:23, he says, "It is not possible for one to be killed every day; but God reckons the life of the pious as though they died a martyr's death daily".
He says that "
Song of Songs
The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...
was inspired by the Holy Ghost, while
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes ( ) is one of the Ketuvim ('Writings') of the Hebrew Bible and part of the Wisdom literature of the Christian Old Testament. The title commonly used in English is a Latin transliteration of the Greek translation of the Hebrew word ...
expresses merely the wisdom of Solomon".
His interpretation of Exodus 31:14 - "The words '
t is holy
T, or t, is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''tee'' (pronounced ), plural ''tees''.
It is d ...
unto you' imply that the Sabbath is given to you, and that you are not given to the Sabbath" - is noteworthy for paralleling a saying of
Jesus
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
.
Mekhilta Mekhilta (, IPA /məˈχiltɑ/, "a collection of rules of interpretation"; corresponding to the Mishnaic Hebrew ' 'measure', 'rule'), is used to denote a compilation of exegesis in Judaism, attributed to or written by any of several authors.
The ...
Ki Tissa d. Weiss, p. 109b compare Mark 2:27, where Jesus says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath"
References
Bibliography
* Heilprin, Seder ha-Dorot, ii. 271–272;
* Frankel, Hodegetica in Mischnam, p. 202;
* Brüll, Einleitung in die Mischna, i. 239–240;
* Bacher, Ag. Tan. ii. 489–494.
Mishnah rabbis
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