רבי יוחנן בן נורי

Rabbi Yochanan ben Nuri was a Tanna active in the Land of Israel, buried in Tiberias (Tverya). He appears throughout the Mishnah and related literature as a prominent halachic voice, recorded in tractates spanning ritual purity, sacrificial law, and civil and family matters—among them Niddah, Keritot, Temurah, Bekhorot, Chullin, Arachin, Makkot, Sanhedrin, Bava Batra, Bava Kamma, and Gittin.

He is repeatedly cited in dispute with Rabbi Akiva. In Temurah and Bechorot he and Rabbi Akiva debate questions of substitution of consecrated animals and the examination of blemishes—a sharp exchange in Bechorot has each accusing the other of either wasting Israel’s money or feeding them forbidden meat. He differs with Rabbi Akiva on the mode of execution in Sanhedrin, and the two are paired as opposing tannaitic positions in Makkot and elsewhere. He also engages questions of purity—whether a hide on the neck constitutes a connection for impurity (Chullin), and the standing of certain foods for tithe and impurity (Niddah)—as well as forbidden relations (Keritot) and the standard of proof required for divorce (Gittin), where he invokes the principle of “a clear matter” established by two or three witnesses.

The passages also preserve traditions about his relationships with other sages: in Bava Batra and Bava Kamma he is linked with Abba Chalafta in the study of Torah, and in Arachin he testifies to his role in correcting Rabbi Akiva, citing the verse “reprove a wise man and he will love you” to describe the mutual affection their disputes produced.