רבי בנאה

Rabbi Bena’ah — in the Eretz Yisrael sources, Rabbi Benayah — was a chacham of the generation of passage from the Tannaim to the Amoraim, at the close of the second century and the beginning of the third. He appears within a baraita and several times in the Sifrei on Devarim, yet most of his statements come in the Gemara in the manner of the Amoraim. He apparently lived in Teveria: the Yerushalmi tells that Rabbi Yochanan, his talmid, even after rising to greatness would darshen in the beit midrash of Rabbi Bena’ah his rebbe — and it is chiefly through Rabbi Yochanan that his Torah is brought in the Talmud.

He would mark burial caves so that people could guard themselves from tumah — some say his very name comes from this, after the pasuk “and he shall build a marker beside it.” In this connection the Gemara relates that he came to Me’arat HaMachpela. At the entrance he found Eliezer, the servant of Avraham, was announced by him, and entered; when he sought to gaze upon Adam HaRishon, a bat kol went forth — you may look upon the likeness of My likeness, but not upon My likeness itself — but he had already glimpsed the soles of Adam’s feet, which were like two suns.

As a dayan he would at times decide by estimation, without formal proofs. A man learned that nine of his ten sons were not his own and left a will granting “all my property to one son” without naming him. Rabbi Bena’ah told the sons to go and knock upon their father’s grave until he would rise and reveal his meaning; one son refused to strike his father’s grave, and Rabbi Bena’ah awarded him the inheritance. The others complained to the government and he was imprisoned, until his wife obtained his release through her wisdom — and he then persuaded the authorities that a dayan should be disqualified only if he lost a judgment and was found holding what was not his. Among his halachot: partners in a courtyard may prevent one another from various uses of it, but may not prevent the women from laundering there, for it is not the honor of benot Yisrael to launder in public. He insisted on dignified dress for talmidei chachamim, a practice his talmid Rabbi Yochanan kept as well.

Most of his statements are in aggadah: a person should always immerse himself in Mishnah, for if he knocks, it will be opened to him — whether Talmud or aggadah; whoever occupies himself with Torah lishmah, his Torah becomes for him an elixir of life, and for one who learns not lishmah it becomes the opposite; and the four cups of the Seder correspond to four geulot. Rav Chaim Vital brings in the name of his rebbe, the Arizal, that Rabbi Bena’ah rests beside Elkanah HaNavi between Tzfat and Meron, where a two-domed structure marks the kever.