רבי ישמעאל בן אלישע

Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha was a tanna of the generation following the destruction of the Second Beit HaMikdash. A striking account in Eichah Rabbah and in tractate Gittin (58a) tells of him as a captive child of remarkable beauty held in a Roman prison, whom Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananyah sought out and redeemed for a great sum, declaring his confidence that the boy would grow to render halachic rulings in Israel — and indeed, within a short time he became one who ruled on matters of halachah.

He appears in halachic discussion across the tractates. In Yevamot (104a) Rabbi Yishmael bar Rabbi Yosi reports having personally seen Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha perform chalitzah with a soft shoe, alone and at night. In Berachot (57b) he is named among the three sages whose appearance in a dream carries meaning — one who sees Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha in a dream should be concerned about coming hardship.