Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/191

145 — THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

145 In Rabbinical Xiiterature

R. H. 28n. rethe sliittali (explained as " cypress-tree" acconliiig to Lijw." I'llaiiztirratiita oniiaineii," p. 'SHU: aeeordinj? to others = " pine ") among the ten kinds of eedar-trees; so also B. li. Hd//; but Yer. Ket. vii. liU/; Tan.. Teruniah, S 9; Ex. I{. XXXV., mention twenty-four eedar-trees. seven of whieh are derived from Isa. xli. 19 (compare the fourteen trees in Enoch, iii. and Book of .lutiilees. xxi. 13. where, instead of n/inhd (almond), shittah (Acacia) was most likely theoriirinal reading: see Dillman. "Das Buch Henoch," p. 91. where reference is niadi'tol.sa. xli. 19. Iv. 13. Ix. 13; compare also "Geo ponica." xi. 1, where fourteen evergreen trees are enumerated). Sec Tan. I.r.: "Of all these the shit tim wood alone was si-lecled in order to atone for the sin that Israel was to commit in Shitlim (Num. XXV. 1 ('/»7.|. Ind I. while Phinchas assuaged the divine wrath [Num. xxv. 7], the Holy One Messed be He! .said: I shall in the future Ileal the plague of Shittim: A fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim'"; .see Joel. iv. is. //,/;. (Tan. I.e.). ferring to

Isii. xli.

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19. ((iiiiits

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"Acacia trees without any knots <ir fissures were cut by .Jacob the patriarch in Migdal Zelio'aya. Palestine, and were taken down liy him to Egyjit to be |)reserve(l by his children for future use in the wilderness; wherefore we read (Ex. xxxv. 24): Everv man with whom was found shittim K. V. acacia] wood. H. Haiiaiiiah was asked regarding the Acacia-trees that were still growing there whether it was right that people should refrain from using them for eoninion ]iurposes in oriler that the wood might be consecrated solely for the Ark, to wlii<'li he re Jtlied: 'Myall means remain true to the custom of your fathers. " which was not to use Acacia for such i)urposes(Oen. U. xciv.; Cant. R. i. 13; Yer. Pes. iv. 80(/;sceaIsoTcstamentof the Patriarchs, Simeon, ^8). '



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K.

ACADEMIES IN BABYLONIA



The Jews

of Bahyloiiiii, no doubl, shared in the changes and movi'meiits that Ezra and his successors, who came from Babylonia, introduced into Pah'stiiie. But for the four centuries covering the period from Ezra to ilillel there are no details; and the history of the succeeding two centuries, from Hillel to Judah I., furnishes only a few scanty items on the state oC learnint,' among the Babylonian Jews. Sherira Oaon. in his fanious letter (the chief source of infonnatioii on the Baliylonian scIkjoIs) referring to those dark centuries, wrote: "No doulit, here in Baliyionia ]iiil)lic instruction was given in thi' Tonili but besides tile exilarchs there were no rec ognized heads of schools until the death of Babbi [Judah 1. 1" The principal seat of Babylonian J u daism was Ni:ii.mii>i;a. where there certainly was Willie iiisliliilion of learning. A very aneii'iil syiia

gogiie. built,

it

WHS

bclii'vcd.

by King

.lelioiacliin,

At Iluzal. near Nelmrdea, then- was anolher synagogue, not far from which could lie si-en the ruins of Ezra's academy. In the periofi bifore Hadiian. .kiba. on his arrival at Kehaidia on a mission from the Sanhedriii. entered bilo a discussion with a resilient seholar on a point of matrimonial law (Mislmah Yeli.. endi. Al the same lime there was at Nisiliis. in norlheni Meso l)otaniiii. an eceMeiit .lewi-.li c-.i||ege. at the head of whidi slooil Judah Icn Bcleia B.illiy nil. and hi whieh many Pr.lesliiiian scholars found refuge at the time of the persi'culions. A certain temponirv o.isted

Neliardea.

ill

(

iinporlanee

was

also attained

by

a school al

Neliar

IVkod. founded by the Paleslinian iinmignint Hana niali. nephew of Joshua beu llauauiah. w liich school I

-Id

Abulfaraj bar Hebraeus Acadetaies in Babylonia

miglit have been the pau.se of a schism between the

Jews of Babylonia and those of

Palestine. Iiad not Palestinian authorities promptly checked Hauaniah's ambitirtn. Among those that helped to restore Palestinian learning, after Hadrian, was the ]5abylonian scholar Nathan, a nicniber of the family of the cxilarch, who eoiitiiiueil his activity excn under Judah 1. Another Babylonian. Hivya. belonged to the foremost leaders in the closing age of the Tannaim. His nephew. Aiii!. AiiiK.. afterward called simply Hab.wasoneof the most important jnipils of Judah 1. Bab's return to liis Babylonian home, the year of whieh has been aecurately recorded (.'530 of the Seleiicidan, or 219 of the common era), marks an epoch: for from it dates the beginning of a new movement in Babylonian Judaism namely, the initiation of the dominant role which the Babylonian Academies played for several centuries. Leaving Nelmrdea to his friend Samuel, w hose father, Abba, was already reckoned among the auNehardea, thorities of'that town. Kali founded a Sura, Pum- new academy in Sura, w here he held bedita, iiroperty. Tlius. there existed in Babyand Ma- Ionia two contemporary academies, so tin-

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huza.

far removed from each other, ever, as not to interfere with

howeach

operations. Since Hab and Samuel were acknowled.tred peers in position and learning, their academies likewise were accounted of equal rank and intbience. Thus both Babylonian rabbinical schools opened their lectures brilliantly, and the ensuing di.sciissions in their clas.ses furnished the earliest strut uni of the scholarly material deposited in the Babylonian Talmud. The coexistence for many decades of these two colleges of eijual rank originated that remarkable phenomenon of the dual leadership of the Babylonian Academies which, with some slight interruptions, became a permanent institution and a weighty factor in the development of Babylonian Judaism. other's

When Odenathus destroyed Neliardea in 259 twelve years after Ball's death, and live years after that of Samui-1 its jilace w as taken by a neighboring town, PiMnKDiTv, where .ludah ben Ezekiel, a pupil of both Bab and Samuel, founded a new school. During the life of its founder, and still more under

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his successors, this .school aci|uired a reputation for intellectual keeniiessand discrimination, which often degenerated into mere liair-s]ilitliiig. Pumbedita

became the other focus of the intellectual life of Babylonian Isiail, and retained that position until the end of the giwniic period. Nelmrdea once more came into prominence under .ViiKiuar. a contemporary of Ashi. The luster of Sura (also known liy the name of its neighboring town, Mata ."Mel.msya) was enhanced by Bab's pupil and successor. Iluna. under whom the attendanee al the academy reached uiiiisual numbers. When Hiiiia di<'d. in 297. Judah ben Ezekiel. principal of the Piimbedilii Aca<leniy. was recognized also by the sages of Sum as their head. On the death of Judah. two years later. Sura became the only center of learning, with Ilisda (died HO!t) ns its liead. Hisda had in Hiina's lifetime rebuilt Bab's ruiiu'il acailemy in Sura, while Huna's college was in the vicinity of Mata Miliasya (Sliirini).

On

Ilisda's dralli .sSiini lost its importance for a time. In Pumbedita. Babliah bar Nahnmni olied 3311. Joseph (died 333). and Abaye (died 338) They were followed by Babii, tauiiht in sucec'ssion. who tninsplanleil the college to his niitive town. loni;

I'lider (lie.sc niiLsters the study of the Ijiw Mahiiza. atlaiued a notable dcvulopmcut, to which certain