Rabbi yehudah hanasi biography of william shakespeare

Fearing that the oral traditions might be forgotten, Judah undertook the mission of consolidating the various opinions into one body of law which became known as the Mishnah. This completed a project which had been mostly clarified and organized by his father and Nathan the Babylonian. The Oral law is the oral tradition as relayed by God to Moses and from him, transmitted and taught to the sages rabbinic leaders of each subsequent generation.

The Mishnah consists of 63 tractates codifying Jewish law, which are the basis of the Talmud. According to Abraham ben David, the Mishnah was compiled by Rabbi Judah the Prince in anno mundi , or the year of the Seleucid era, which corresponds to CE. Talmudic narratives Various stories are told about Judah to illustrate different aspects of his character.

One of them begins by telling of a calf breaking free from being led to slaughter. He favoured Greek as the language of the country over Jewish Palestinian Aramaic. He studied under some of Akiva's most eminent students. As their student and through conversation with other prominent men who gathered about his father, he laid a strong foundation of scholarship for his life's work: the editing of the Mishnah.

His teachers [ edit ] His teacher at Usha was Judah bar Ilai , who was officially employed in the house of the patriarch as judge in religious and legal questions. When, in later years, Judah raised objections to Jose's opinions, he would say: "We poor ones undertake to attack Jose, though our time compares with his as the profane with the holy!

Judah studied from Shimon bar Yochai in Teqoa , [16] a place some have identified with Meron. However, he considered himself lucky even to have seen Meir from behind.

Rabbi yehudah hanasi biography of william shakespeare

In the Jerusalemite tradition, Judah ben Korshai the halakhic specialist mentioned as assistant to Simon ben Gamaliel [21] is designated as Judah's real teacher. The following sentence shows a deep insight into the social order: "The world needs both the perfumer and the tanner: but happy he who engages in the fragrant trade; and wo to him who engages in the vile-smelling trade!

The world needs both the male and the female: but happy he who has male children; and wo to him who has female children " Pes. He praises the value of work by saying that it protects both from gossip and from need Ab. The administration of justice has taken its place beside the Decalogue Ex. Sayings on Study. Judah sums up the experiences of a long life spent in learning and in teaching in the confession, which also throws light upon his character, "I have learned much from my masters, more from my colleagues than from my masters, and more from my pupils than from all the others" Mak.

Judah indicates that one can also learn from a young teacher: "Do not look to the jug, but to its contents: many a new jug is full of old wine; and many an old jug does not even contain new wine" Ab. He forbade his pupils to study on the public highway probably in order to put a stop to abuses , basing his prohibition on his interpretation of Cant.

He connected with Deut. Does not God care for all countries? The answer is: 'Scripture means to say that although God seems to care only for the land of Israel, yet for its sake He also cares for all other countries. God is similarly called the protector of Israel Ps. According to Joshua b. Levi, Judah interpreted Jer. In Judah's Bible exegesis those portions may be noted in which he undertakes to harmonize conflicting Biblical statements.

Thus he harmonizes Mek. Sifre, Num. The contradiction between Gen. Noteworthy among the other numerous Scriptural interpretations which have been handed down in Judah's name are those in which he cleverly introduces etymological explanations, as of the following: Ex. Peah 20b ; Ps. Use of Scripture. David did not really commit sin with Bath-sheba, but only intended to do so, according to Judah's interpretation of the words "to do the evil" II Sam.

Rab, Judah's pupil, ascribes this apology for King David to Judah's desire to justify his ancestor Shab. Characteristic of Judah's appreciation of the Haggadah is his interpretation of the word "wa-yagged" Ex. The anecdote related in Cant. Judah was especially fond of the Book of Psalms see 'Ab. Zarah 19a; Midr. He paraphrased the wish expressed by David in Ps.

In reference to the Book of Job he said that it was important if only because it presented the sin and punishment of the generations of the Flood Gen. He proves from Ex. Referring to the prophetic books, he says: "All the Prophets begin with denunciations and end with comfortings" Midr. Even the genealogical portions of the Book of Chronicles must be interpreted Ruth R.

Friedmann, p. Among these questions may have been the one which Judah's son Simeon addressed to him according to Midr. Judah's death is recorded in a touching account Yer. In accordance with his express desire he was buried at Bet She'arim, where he had lived at one time and where he had long since prepared his tomb Ket. He became sickly, suffering from pain in his teeth, his eyes and finally in his intestines.

When his infirmities became more severe, he was advised by his doctors to move to Zippori , built on a mountain-top, where the air was clear and healthful. But he gave much of his wealth to the support of the poor. In Avot , we find, among other wise admonitions, the following: Calculate the eternal reward for a mitzvah against the temporary loss it may cause, and the eternal cost of a sin against the momentary benefit it may bring.