רבה בר רב חנן

Rav Rabbah bar Rav Chanan — his name also appears as Rava bar Rav Chanan — was a Babylonian amora of the fourth generation and the son of Rav Chanan. He was a friend of Abaye, and already in their childhood the two of them sat as talmidim before Rabbah, rosh yeshiva of Pumbedita. It is told that Rabbah asked the two boys, “To whom do we make a berachah?” and they answered, “To the Merciful One.” He asked further, “And where does He dwell?” Rabbah bar Rav Chanan pointed toward the ceiling, while Abaye went outside and pointed to the heavens. Rabbah marveled at the answer and foresaw that both would grow to be great chachamim. Abaye was the younger of the two and was counted as a talmid-chaver to him.

Rabbah held him in the highest regard, and asked that he be the one to deliver his hesped after his passing, together with Abaye. He also carried on give-and-take before Rava, and Rav Avya was among his friends. He lived in a place called Artivna — other versions give Artvina, Artavya or Artunya — near Pumbedita, and on Shabbat he would make an eruv techumin so as to walk to the city of Torah, Pumbedita. Rabbeinu Chananel explains there that the purpose of the walk was to hear the shiurim of Rav Yosef, who headed the yeshiva of Pumbedita after Rabbah.

He appears to have been a farmer and worked the land. Date palms of his stood on the border of Rav Yosef’s orchard, and birds that nested in them damaged the orchard. Rav Yosef demanded that he move the palms away; he answered that he was not willing to uproot fruit trees, but that he gave Rav Yosef leave to do it himself. No halachah is brought in the Gemara in his name — his dozens of appearances there all belong to the give-and-take of the sugya, where he raises difficulties and questions on the words of the other chachamim.