Ravina I (; died c. AD 420) was a Babylonian

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish

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 ...

ist and

rabbi 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 t ...

, of the 5th and 6th 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 seems to have died before he was born or at an early age, and it was necessary for his mother informed him of some of his father's halachic practices. He was a pupil of Rava bar Joseph bar Hama, and his extreme youthfulness at that time is shown by the fact that his teacher designated him and Hama bar Bisa as "dardeki" (children). He frequently addressed questions to Rava, whose sayings he cites. At an early age Ravina was recognized as a teacher, leaving the academy at

Mahoza Al-Mada'in (, ; ''Māḥozā''; ) was an ancient metropolis situated on the Tigris in what is now Iraq. It was located between the ancient royal centers of Ctesiphon and Seleucia, and was founded by the Sasanian Empire. The city's name was used ...

while Rava was still living. Wherever he lived he was recognized as a teacher and judge, and was called upon to render independent decisions. Ravina was on friendly terms with Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, and was a colleague of Rav Aha b. Rava, with whom he had many disputations on legal questions, Ravina being inclined to lenience and Aha to stringency. Ravina's decisions always prevailed, with the exception of three cases in which, contrary to his custom, he advocated stringency. When

Rav Ashi Rav Ashi () ("Rabbi Ashi") (352–427) was a Babylonian Jewish rabbi, of the sixth generation of amoraim. He reestablished the Academy at Sura and was the first editor of the Babylonian Talmud. The original pronunciation of his name may h ...

became director of the Academy of

Sura A ''surah'' (; ; ) is an Arabic word meaning 'chapter' in the Quran. There are 114 ''suwar'' in the Quran, each divided into verses (). The ''suwar'' are of unequal length; the shortest ''surah'' ( al-Kawthar) has only three verses, while the ...

(or Mata Mehasya), Ravina became a student there, although he was at least as old as Ashi—perhaps even a few years older; however, he was the associate of Ashi ("talmid haver") rather than his student.Eruvin 63a Ravina died seven years before Ashi.

Compilation of the Talmud

Ravina began the process of compiling the

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 ...

with

. However, opinions differ on whether the Ravina responsible was this Ravina, or his nephew

Ravina II Ravina II or Rabina II (Hebrew: אבינא בריה דרב הונא or רבינא האחרון; died 475 Common Era, CE or 500 CE) was a Babylonian rabbi of the 5th century (seventh and eighth generations of amoraim). Rabina is a traditional portm ...

. Besides Ashi, Ravina had the greatest share in the redaction of the Talmud undertaken by Ashi and his colleagues. It has the following bibliography: * Heilprin, '' Seder ha-Dorot'', ii. 339; * Halevy, ''Dorot ha-Rishonim'', ii. 536–550, iii. 74–85.

References

421 deaths Talmud rabbis of Babylonia Year of birth unknown {{MEast-rabbi-stub