Biography
Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon was a tanna. He appears in Pirkei Avot, where he teaches that when two sit together and words of Torah pass between them, the Divine Presence rests among them — a saying that captures the centrality of Torah study in all that is recorded of him.
The most extensive account of him is in tractate Avodah Zarah, which relates that when Rabbi Yose ben Kisma fell ill, Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon went to visit him. Rabbi Yose warned him about the danger of gathering crowds publicly to study Torah while Roman rule sought to suppress it. The passage records his martyrdom, and that a heavenly voice declared that Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon and his executioner were destined for the World to Come — prompting Rebbi to weep, “There is one who acquires his world in a single hour, and one who acquires it over many years.”
Later works draw on his example. Derashot HaRan cites the discussion between Rabbi Yose ben Kisma and Rabbi Chanina ben Teradyon in examining the idea that fulfilling even a single mitzvah can earn a person life in the World to Come, clarifying that the question put to him was about a particular deed and his love for mitzvot. Orchot Tzadikim brings a sobering account concerning his daughter, who was punished for a moment of pride. Through these sources he is remembered above all for his unyielding attachment to Torah and to Hashem’s mitzvot.
Where traditions differ. The Pirkei Avot passage also cites Rabbi Chanina the Deputy High Priest (Segan HaKohanim); care should be taken not to conflate the two.
רבי חֲנַנְיָה בֶן תַּרְדְּיוֹן היה מחשובי התנאים בדור מרד בר כוכבא ולאחריו. הוא היה ראש בית דין, אביה של ברוריה וחותנו של רבי מאיר, ואחד מעשרת הרוגי מלכות.
Rabbi Haninah ben Teradion or Hananiah ben Teradion was a rabbi and tanna of the third generation. He was a contemporary of Eleazar ben Perata I and of Halafta, together with whom he established certain ritual rules. Known as one of the wealthiest men in Galilee, he also served as the treasurer of a fund for the poor. Following the Bar Kokhba revolt, he was executed by the Romans for ignoring the ban on teaching Torah, and is considered one of the Ten Martyrs.
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