Rav Isaac bar Rav Judah (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: רב יצחק בריה דרב יהודה) was a
Babylon
Babylon ( ) was an ancient city located on the lower Euphrates river in southern Mesopotamia, within modern-day Hillah, Iraq, about south of modern-day Baghdad. Babylon functioned as the main cultural and political centre of the Akkadian-s ...
ian rabbi who lived in the 4th century (fourth generation of
amoraim
''Amoraim'' ( , singular ''Amora'' ; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen") refers to Jewish scholars of the period from about 200 to 500 CE, who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the Oral Torah. They were p ...
).
Biography
His father and
principle teacher was Rav
Judah ben Ezekiel
Judah bar Ezekiel (220–299 CE) () 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 son Hiyya b. Rav was his pupil. Af ...
, who was probably quite old when Isaac was born. In his childhood Isaac already showed signs of unusual intelligence. Isaac and his father debated many
halakhic
''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments (''mitzv ...
issues together. His father regarded him highly, and would repeat teachings in his son's name, which was considered unusual, since usually the student would quote the teacher and not the reverse. At times he would comment on his father's work.
Isaac did not marry until a late age, because his father Judah did not know how to find a family with sufficiently good lineage, until
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 ...
visited and taught Judah a method for estimating lineage. Isaac studied also under
Rav Huna
Rav Huna (Hebrew: רב הונא) was a Jewish Talmudist and Exilarch who lived in Babylonia, known as an amora of the second generation and head of the Academy of Sura; he was born about 216 CE (212 CE according to Gratz) and died in 296–297 ...
, as well as under
Rabbah bar Nahmani
Rabbah bar Naḥmani () (died c. 320 CE) was a Jewish Talmudist known throughout the Talmud simply as Rabbah. He was a third-generation amora of the talmudic academies in Babylonia, which were in Asoristan, the Lower Mesopotamian part of the ...
along with Rav Samuel, the son of
Rabbah bar bar Hana, and
Aha bar Hana.
After their deaths, he became a student of
Rami bar Hama
Rami bar Hama (Hebrew: רמי בר חמא; ''Rami'' = ''R. Ami'') was a Babylonian amora of the third generation.
Biography
He was a pupil of Rav Chisda, and a fellow student of Rava, who was somewhat his junior.
He frequently addressed questi ...
. However, he did not like Rami's reliance on logical argumentation rather than reference to tradition, and so he left Rami's lectures, to study under
Rav Sheshet who would answer questions based on previous sources.
Along with his brother, , he debated halacha with
Abaye
Abaye () was an amora of the fourth generation of the Talmudic academies in Babylonia. He was born about the close of the third century and died in 337.
Biography
Abaye, according to Talmudic tradition, was the head of the Pumbedita Academy unt ...
and
Rava.
His family
His granddaughter Homa, the daughter of his son Issi, was termed
Isha katlanit ("lethal/deadly woman"), since she married three men, all of whom died: , Rab Isaac, the son of
Rabbah bar bar Hana, and
Abaye
Abaye () was an amora of the fourth generation of the Talmudic academies in Babylonia. He was born about the close of the third century and died in 337.
Biography
Abaye, according to Talmudic tradition, was the head of the Pumbedita Academy unt ...
.
Babylonian 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 modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece of Jewi ...
, Yebamot 64b
References
External links
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{{authority control
Talmud rabbis of Babylonia
4th-century rabbis