Ḥiyya Bar Ami
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Rav Hiyya bar Ami () was a third- and fourth-generation
Babylonia Babylonia (; , ) was an Ancient history, ancient Akkadian language, Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Kuwait, Syria and Iran). It emerged as a ...
n Amora.


Biography

His main teacher was
Ulla Ulla is a given name. It is short for Ursula (given name), Ursula in German-speaking countries and Ulrika/Ulrikke in Scandinavian countries. As of 31 December 2011, there were 61,043 females named Ulla in Sweden, with the name being most popular ...
, but he also learned from
Rav Chisda Rav Ḥisda () 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), and is menti ...
and Ḥulfana Seder HaDoroth questions whether his father was a
Kohen Kohen (, ; , ، Arabic كاهن , Kahen) is the Hebrew word for "priest", used in reference to the Aaronic Priest#Judaism, priesthood, also called Aaronites or Aaronides. They are traditionally believed, and halakha, halakhically required, to ...
or not. One of his colleagues was
Rav Yosef bar Hiyya Rav Yosef bar Hiyya (), or simply Rav Yosef, was a Babylonian rabbi of the third generation of amoraim. Biography Yosef was a student of Judah bar Ezekiel and was Abaye's teacher, and a scholarly disputant (''bar plugata'') of Rabbah bar Nahman ...
. The Talmud cites a dispute between Rav Hiyya and Rav Yosef regarding the precise measure of a double ''sit'' that determines liability for one who whitens on
Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the seven-day week, week—i.e., Friday prayer, Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews ...
. In several places the Talmud relates that
Rav Nachman Rav Nachman bar Yaakov (; died 320) was a prominent Jewish Talmudic sage ( Amora) of the third generation, who lived in Babylonia. He is generally identified with the figure referred to simply as ''Rav Nachman'' in the Babylonian Talmud. He was ...
, Ulla and Avimi bar Pappi were sitting and discussing
halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...
amongst themselves while Hiyya bar Ami was sitting before them like a student before his teachers. Sometimes he would sit and discuss among them and give answers to their questions. The
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
says that Rav Hiyya bar Ami's slave once immersed a gentile woman in a
mikveh A mikveh or mikvah (,  ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvot'', or (Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazic) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for ritual washing in Judaism#Full-body immersion, ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve Tumah and taharah, ...
so he could have relations with her (to purify her from her
niddah A niddah (alternative forms: nidda, nida, or nidah; ''nidá''), in traditional Judaism, is a woman who has experienced a uterine discharge of blood (most commonly during menstruation), or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the ...
status). The slave then married the woman and had a daughter with her. The Talmud discusses the status of the woman and her daughter, whether immersion for the sake of niddah is also effective for
conversion to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( or ) is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. "Thus, by convertin ...
.


Sayings

Most of Rav Hiyya bar Ami's statements are said in the name of Ulla and are in the realm of halacha. The following
Aggadic Aggadah (, or ; ; 'tales', 'legend', 'lore') is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly the Talmud and Midrash. In general, Aggadah is a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporat ...
statements of Rav Hiyya bar Ami in the name of Ulla all appear in Berakhot . * Rabbi Hiyya bar Ami said in the name of Ulla: From the day the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed is He, has only four
cubit The cubit is an ancient unit of length based on the distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger. It was primarily associated with the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Israelites. The term ''cubit'' is found in the Bible regarding Noah ...
s of halacha. * One who benefits from the toil of his hands is greater than one who fears Heaven. For regarding fear of Heaven, the verse states, "Fortunate is the man who fears God," whereas regarding one who benefits from the toil of his hands, the verse states, "When you eat the fruit of your labor you are fortunate and it is good for you." "Fortunate" means in this world. "Good for you" in the
world to come The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatology, eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the World (theology), current world or Dispensation (period), current age is flawed or cursed and will be r ...
. With regard to fear of Heaven it does not say "It will be good for you." * A person should always live in the place of his teacher, for as long as
Shimei ben Gera Shimei ben Gera is a Biblical figure from the Book of II Samuel and the Book of I Kings. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was related to King Saul. II Samuel relates that when King David was fleeing from his son Absalom, Shimei cursed him ...
was alive,
Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...
did not marry Pharaoh's daughter.


References

{{Amoraim Talmud rabbis Talmud rabbis of Babylonia