HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Rav Nachman bar Yaakov (; died 320) was a prominent
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
Talmudic 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 ...
sage ( Amora) of the third generation, who lived in
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 ...
. He is generally identified with the figure referred to simply as ''Rav Nachman'' in the Babylonian Talmud. He was married to Yalta, who is mentioned several times in Talmudic literature. It is generally accepted that references to Rav Nachman in the Talmud refer to Rav Nachman bar Yaakov, not to Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak.


Biography

Rav Nachman studied under Samuel of Nehardea and Rabbah bar Abuha. He served as the chief justice (dayan) under the authority of the
exilarch The exilarch was the leader of the Jewish community in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) during the era of the Parthians, Sasanians and Abbasid Caliphate up until the Mongol invasion of Baghdad in 1258, with intermittent gaps due to ongoing polit ...
—the political leader of Babylonian Jewry—and later became head of the academy in
Nehardea Nehardea or Nehardeah ( "river of knowledge") was a city from the area called by ancient Jewish sources Babylonia, situated at or near the junction of the Euphrates with the Nahr Malka (the Royal Canal), one of the earliest and most prominent ce ...
. Following the destruction of Nehardea, he relocated his students to Shekanẓib. Through his marriage to a daughter of the Exilarch's family, Rav Nachman gained access to material wealth, which enabled him to host scholars and guests generously. When Rabbi Yitzchak of
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
visited Babylonia, he stayed at Rav Nachman's home and, upon departing, blessed him with a parable likening his host to a tree that provides shade, fruit, and water. Rabbi Yitzchak concluded by saying: “Just as this tree needs no blessing, for it already provides generously, so may all that grows from you be like you.” According to the Talmud, Rav Nachman is described as a capable and respected judge, known for both decisiveness and humility. He is quoted as saying: ''"Let the Messiah come, and I will be privileged to sit in the shadow of his donkey’s excrement. I am willing to undergo all the pain and disgrace associated with his arrival."'' Similarly, Rav Nachman already possessed Torah, wealth, and children; so Rav Yitzchak blessed him that his offspring would also be like him. Due to his recognized expertise, he occasionally issued rulings in civil law cases independently, without consulting colleagues—a practice permitted to someone deemed an ''"expert for the public."'' When Rav Yehuda overturned one of his rulings, Rav Nachman is recorded to have responded: ''"Did a child tear it up? A great man tore it up; he must have found reason to invalidate it."''


Teachings

Rav Nachman contributed significantly to important halakhic principles. He ruled that a defendant who categorically denies liability must take the rabbinical oath (''Shevu'at Hesset''), even without additional proof from the claimant. He also articulated the legal principle of avad inish dina lenafsheih ("a person may act to enforce judgment for themselves"), permitting limited self-help in monetary disputes before court adjudication. In addition to legal rulings, Rav Nachman engaged extensively with
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 ...
traditions. He drew from multiple narrative collections and often grouped together
Aramaic Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...
aphorisms in his teachings. His style favored the use of popular, colloquial expressions, and many of his homiletic remarks about Biblical figures use accessible imagery. Examples of his aggadic commentary include: * ''“It is unbecoming for women to be conceited; even Deborah and Huldah bore unflattering names—‘bee’ and ‘weasel’.”'' ' * ''“Impudence can be effective even toward Heaven: initially, God told Balaam ‘Do not go,’ but after persistence, said, ‘Go with them.’”'' ' * ''“Sinful thoughts harm a person more than the sin itself.”'' ''
Yoma Yoma (Aramaic: יומא, lit. "The Day") is the fifth tractate of '' Seder Moed'' ('Order of Festivals') of the ''Mishnah'' and of the ''Talmud''. It is concerned mainly with the laws of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, on which Jews atone for t ...
28b–29a
''


References

* It has the following bibliography: *Hamburger, ''R.B.T.'' ii.819 et seq.; *Bacher, ''Ag. Bab. Amor.'' pp. 79–83; *'' Seder ha-Dorot,'' pp. 283 et seq. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nachman, Rav 320 deaths Talmud rabbis of Babylonia Year of birth unknown