רבי חזקיה

Rabbi Chizkiya was an amora whose teachings are preserved chiefly in the aggadic Midrash. He appears across a wide range of works — Bereshit Rabbah, Shemot Rabbah, Vayikra Rabbah, the Tanchuma on Bamidbar, Kohelet Rabbah, and Eichah Rabbah — where his comments draw out the meaning of verses in Bereshit and beyond.

His teachings range over both narrative and verse. In Bereshit Rabbah he explains the name Tzafnat Pa’neach given to Yosef, reading it as one who reveals hidden things and settles the minds of people through his wisdom. In Kohelet Rabbah he brings a teaching together with Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Simon bar Zavdi on the verse “Come now, I will test you with joy.” In Shemot Rabbah he is cited as Rabbi Chizkiya bar Chiya, addressing how Hashem’s word stands firm in the heavens. He is thus found alongside fellow Sages of his generation, weaving verses from Tehillim, Mishlei, and the Torah into his expositions.