[Avodah] yehoshua bin nun

[Micha Berger]

On Fri, Jun 15, 2012 at 12:55:01PM +0300, Eli Turkel wrote:
: reminds of the discussion of the meaning of the name of the amora Rabbah
: bar bar Hana

On the top of Gittin 17a, RbbC hosts Rebbe and Rabbah [bar Nachmeini]
and a pair of "Chaveirim" their lamp. RbbC davened that if we couldn't
be under His direct protection, at least that of Edom! The gemara asks:
But didn't R' Chiya (who makes aliyah from Bavel) say that HQBH exiled us
to Bavel because He knew we chouldn't handle Edom? So which was worse? The
gemara answers that Bavel was only better until the Chaveirim came.

The Chaveirim were probably the Sassanids, who took over Persia in 205,
the early amoraic period. (Rebbe was niftar in 188 or 219 ce.)

The discussion was probably on the Persian holiday of Ormuzd (so theorizes
Graetz) as they celebrate the demiurge who allegedly greated good and
light, and thus only Zoroastians were allowed to have lamps.

Anyway.... back to the point.

RbbC complains about the locals in this story. He moved to EY, where
he learned under R' Yochanan, and eventually returns. In Pesachim 51a,
he has enough of Bavel, again.

I therefore think there is value to the theory that parts of his name
were lost or buried during attempts to hide out from the authorities.

:-)BBii!
-Micha

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