רב עוירא

Rav Avira was an amora of Eretz Yisrael of the third and fourth generations, a talmid of Rabbi Yochanan bar Nafcha and a colleague of Rabbi Abbahu and Rabbi Chelbo. The Talmud brings him debating halacha with Rabbi Yochanan. He lived in the days of Abaye and Rav Safra, who spoke of him as a chacham come from the West. He went up to Eretz Yisrael and served as usher in the beit midrash of “the great teacher,” apparently Rabbi Ami; on returning to Bavel he brought with him many halachot and aggadot of Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi, though he sometimes confused which of the two had said what. He is to be distinguished from another Rav Avira, who cites teachings in the name of Rava.

Alongside what he brought in the name of others, some divrei Torah (homilies) are his own. He taught: come and see how the way of HaKadosh Baruch Hu differs from that of flesh and blood — a man of standing looks up to one greater than himself but pays no regard to one beneath him, while Hashem, who is supreme, regards the lowly, as it says in Tehillim, “Though Hashem is high, He sees the lowly.” He taught too that the yetzer hara is called by seven names: Hashem calls it “evil,” Moshe “uncircumcised,” David “impure,” Shlomo “enemy,” Yeshayahu “stumbling-block,” Yechezkel “stone,” and Yoel “the tzefoni” — the one who lies hidden in a man’s heart.