Jose ben Chalafta

Jose ben Chalafta (Hebrew: רבי יוסי בן חלפתא, in the Mishnah - about 330 times - always only called Rabbi Jose ; * after 130 ; † around 160 ) was an ancient Jewish scholar and one of the Tannaites of the 2nd century.

Life

In the secular profession he was a "leather worker" ( bSchabb. 49 b) (= tanner). Aside from his father, his most important teacher was Rabbi Akiba ( bJeb 62 b). It was authorized ("Smicha"), although the Emperor Hadrian had expressly forbidden this, together with four other students ( Rabbi Meir , Rabbi Jehuda ben Ilai , Rabbi Shimon ben Jochai , Rabbi Eleazar ben Shammua ) by Rabbi Jehuda ben Baba ( bSanh 14 a ), who had to pay for this offense with his death as a martyr.

Jose b. Chalafta later taught in Sepphoris , where he was forced to stay, as instructed by the Romans. nevertheless there are 3 documents from a later time about his stay in Usha , where he was held in high esteem.

R. Jose was an eminent Halachist , according to whose opinion it was usually decided ( bEruw. 46 b); in the tradition he is also considered the main tradent of the current Jewish chronology (fixed in the Seder Olam Rabba , originally just called Seder Olam ).

R. Jose is widely regarded as the author of Kelim (including by Chanoch Albeck ) .

Because of his straight character, his peacefulness, piety and modesty he was later referred to as "the saint" ( jBer. III, 6 c). His encounters with the prophet Elijah are legendary .

Jose's motto was ( Proverbs of the Fathers IV, 6):

"Whoever honors the Torah is honored by men; but whoever profaned it is despised by men."

Jose ben Chalafta had five sons from his wife, whom he married after his brother had died childless in compliance with the commandment of the levirean marriage .

literature

• Israel Konovitz: Rabbi Jose ben Halafta. Collected Sayings , Jerusalem 1966 (Hebrew)