רבי חנניא בן עקשיא

Rabbi Chananya ben Akashia was a tanna, remembered above all for a single luminous teaching that has come to crown the study of Torah. He states that Hashem wished to grant merit to Israel, and therefore gave them an abundance of Torah and mitzvot, bringing as support the verse from Yeshayahu (42), “Hashem desired, for the sake of His righteousness, to make the Torah great and glorious.”

His words appear at the close of tractate Makkot, and this teaching became the customary passage recited upon completing the study of a chapter of Mishnah. He is also cited in connection with the sixth chapter of Pirkei Avot, where the theme that all Hashem created in His world He created only for His honor is brought, supported by verses from Yeshayahu and Shemot.