רבי חלפתא

Rav Chalafta — Abba Chalafta in both Talmuds, and cited in the Mishnah with no patronymic at all — was a tanna who lived in Tzippori in the Galil and led the community there. His family traced its descent from Yonadav ben Rechav, and the sources count him among the kohanim; some hold he was the father of Rabbi Levi HaKohen bar Chalafta. He seems to have been in Yerushalayim in the closing years of the Beit HaMikdash, for he told of having seen Rabban Gamliel the Elder on Har HaBayit, and he later brought a ruling of Rabban Gamliel the Elder before Rabban Gamliel of Yavneh. It is possible that his own father was Abba Chagra, in whose name he brings a din in hilchot nedarim.

Among his companions were Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon and Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria; with Rabbi Elazar ben Matya and Rabbi Chanina ben Chachinai he went to see the stones that Yehoshua bin Nun had set up in the Yarden. He conducted a beit midrash at Tzippori and established practices there, and he reached a great age — he is found in the company of Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria, Chotzpit the Meturgeman, Yeshevav and Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri when all of them were old, and he took part in the machloket over Akavia.

His son was the tanna Rabbi Yose, who learned from him and in whose name most of the few halachot preserved from him are brought; his grandson was Rabbi Yishmael b’Rabbi Yose, and Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta was his son or a later descendant. A grandson of his, one of the sons of Rabbi Yose named Chalafta after him, was niftar young. Between 1153 and 1187 Yaakov ben Netanel HaKohen described his resting place beside that of his son Rabbi Yose; the graves are at Kfar Chananya.