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THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

incorrectness of the equation between Judaism and lack of artistic feelings. Modern Jewish literature, •even the Neo-Hebraic literature preparatory to Zionism, needs not dread inspection from the point of view of the requirements of the implications of the beautiful. See Akt, Attitude of Jtjdaism toward, E. G. H.

k.

BEBAI 1. Name of a family, of whom, according to Ezra ii. 11 and I Esd. v. 13, 623 returned with Zerubbabel. According to Neh. vii. 16, their number was 628. Twenty-eight more came up with Fzra (Ezra viii. 11). Four of the Bene Bebai married foreign wives (Ezra x. 28; I Esd. ix. 29). A Bebai signed the covenant with Nehemiah (Neh. x. The name " Biba " has been found on a tablet 15). from Nippur (see "Cuneiform Texts," ed. Hilprecht,

Beautiful Bebai

following anecdote: R. Bebai was engaged in explaining a Baraita, when R. Isaac b. Bisna interrupted him with a question on the subject, to which Bebai gave a peevish reply. R. Zerikan remonstrated with him remarking, "Because he asks thee a question thou scoldest him " Thereupon Bebai excused himself pleading, " I am not master of myself for, as R. Hananhas sa id, 'The Biblical dictum

!







ix. 27).

2.

A

place mentioned in Judith xv.

location

4,

unknown. G. B. L.

g.

BEBAI

(<a<2; Biblical

form U3.

The readings

"jU'D, t'3'3 are cop3'ists' mistakes for "D'l variant is a clerical error for, X3 , 3)

XT3



and the



The

Pal-

and the Babylonian Talmudim, as also the Palestinian Midrashim, frequently cite an amora named Bebai, sometimes as " Babbi " and sometimes and as .as " Rab, " but without further designation estinian



all

the data relating to the

name

age, rabbinic chronologists have them as applying to one person. ble in this connection,

refer to the same always considered

What is remarkabut has been overlooked, is

the fact that out of nearly fifty subjects treated in connection with the name, only one appears in both Talmudim (Yer. Shek. iii. 47c and parallels Men. 1036) from which it may be inferred that the doctrines and sayings appearing under the name of Bebai in the Palestinian sources do not emanate from the Babylonian Bebai, and vice versa. Probably it was this fact which first aroused Prankel's suspicion as to the identity of the Palestinian Bebai with the Babylonian, and accordingly both Frankel ("Mebo," 686) and Bacher ("Ag. Pal. Amor." iii. 667 et seq.) refer to two Bebais, of Palestine and Babylonia respectively.



Bebai

I., B..: Palestinian

amora of the

third gen-

eration (third century). R. Zeira I. on his first arrival in Palestine, heard Bebai repeating a Halakah in the name of Malluk (Hul. 49a) and the same Zeira refers to a time when he and Bebai sat at the feet of R. Johanan (Nid. 256, where the patronymic "b. Abaye " is undoubtedly a clerical error, inasmuch as Abaye himself could scarcely have been born before ,



the death of R. Johanan, in 279). Bebai subsequently became a disciple of R. Assi II. (Yer. Ta'an. ii. 666 Mak. 216; Yalk., Deut. 932), although he also addresses R. Abbahu as his teacher (Yer. Kid. iv. 666). He seems to have been outranked, however, by his former colleague, R. Zeira, for he is often found before the latter in the role of a reciter (Yer. Ma'as. Sh. v. 56a; Yer. Kid. iii. 64a'); and it is known that he was once commissioned by Zeira to procure some cloth from the Saturnalian fair at Beshan (" Beth-

shean," Yer. 'Ab. Zarah i. 39c). Probably this was done with the purpose of affording Bebai some emolument; for he was poor, as is evident from the

(Deut. xxviii. 66), " Thy life shall hang in doubt before thee," is realized in the one who purchases his yearly supplies from the market, he having no fields of his own; "Thou shalt fear day and night," represents the condition of him who draws his provi-

week from the huckster in the marketThou shalt have no assurance of thy life, may be said of him who is obliged to procure provisions by the day from the shopkeeper,' as I do" sions for the

place

"



(Yer. Shab.

Men.

11a; Yer. Shek.

viii.

47c, viii.

iii.

51a;

1036).

This Bebai in the

known

is

Halakah

views of others,



in the

Haggadah

as well as

and while he often transmits the he as often advances his own. Ac-

cording to him, the sin of hypocrisy is alluded to earliest in the Decalogue. Seeing, he argues, that perjury is explicitly prohibited by the command (Lev. xix. 12), " Ye shall not swear by my name falsely," the prohibition (Ex. xx.

not take the

name

of the

"Thou

7),

Lord thy God

shalt

in vain,"

refer to one who leads a sinful life while parading such ceremonies of holiness as Tefillin and

must

(Pesik. R. 22). The divine order to number the Israelites (Ex. xxx. 12) he explains by the king once had numerous following illustration " Wolves attacked them and killed many; flocks. whereupon the king ordered the herdsman to number the remainder, that he might discover how many were missing. Thus, after the catastrophe of the golden calf, did the Lord say to Moses, Number the Israelites, and find out how many are missing " (Pesik. ii.l8a; Tan., Ki Tissa, 9). Bebai, it seems, never visited Babylonia, since we see him sitting at the feet of R. Johanan (who died about 279), studying under Assi II., and attending Zeira I. Tallit



A

'

'

and Dimi, who emigrated

to

Babylonia about

fifty

years after R. Johanan's death, reports (Shab. 74a), in illustration of a Halakah, an act of Bebai at a reception tendered to Ammi and Assi (Yer. Ber. i. 36; ib. viii. 12a; Yer. Kil. v. 30a; Yer. Sheb. i. 336; Yer. Ter. viii. 45c Yer. Shek. ii. 46c Yer. Git. v. 476; Yer. Sanh. i. 18a; Yer. Nid. iii. 50rZ; Pesik. R. 15; Pesik., Hahodesh, 50a; Midr. Teh., ed. Buber, Index; Frankel, "Mebo," 686; Bacher, "Ag. Pal.



Amor." iii. 66 et seq.). Bebai II., Bab Babylonian amora of the third generation (third and fourth centuries). He was a disciple of R. Nahman (Hag. 226; Yeb. 126; B. M.

236),

and,

it

seems, a fellow-pupil

("

talmid-haber

")

Adda b. Ahaba's host, of R. Joseph ('Er. 236, 756). a proselyte, and Bebai had some litigation about a They certain public office to which both laid claim. personally appealed to R. Joseph; and he decided that, as Bebai was a great scholar, he was entitled to the superintendence of the religious affairs of the community, leaving the management of the municipal affairs to the other (Kid. 766). Elsewhere it is stated that to settle a scholastic dispute between