רב הונא

Rav Huna (c. 3976/216–4057/297), the amora, was among the greatest of the second generation in Bavel — the foremost talmid of Rav, and for some forty years the head of the yeshiva of Sura. He was born in Drukeret in Bavel, a descendant of the family of the Reish Galuta, and learned in his youth under Rav and under Shmuel. In those years he was poor in the extreme — once, lacking wine for Shabbat, he pawned his belt and girded himself with rope, and so went to learn before Rav, who blessed him with wealth. He worked his own field, coming home at evening with his spade on his shoulder, and in time prospered greatly in the wine trade. For his piety he was called one of the chassidei Bavel.

After Rav’s petirah he taught in his place at Sura, but out of honor for Shmuel his appointment was held back; only after Shmuel’s petirah, around 4016/256, was he set at the head, and under him the sidra of Sura took the name metivta, Rav Huna being the first to carry the title of rosh yeshiva. The yeshiva flowered in his day: eight hundred fixed talmidim, all supported from his own hand, with thirteen amoraim standing to repeat his shiur to the throngs; the Gemara tells that when the talmidim rose and shook the dust from their garments, the cloud darkened the sun, and in Eretz Yisrael they would say that the shiur of Rav Huna in Bavel had ended. Though not a kohen, he was called first to the Torah on Shabbat and Yom Tov as the gadol hador, and even Rav Ami and Rav Asi, the honored kohanim of Eretz Yisrael, held themselves beneath him.

His wealth was a trust for others. When storms threw down the houses of the poor he rebuilt them at his own expense; he bought up the unsold goods of the merchants so that commerce should not leave the city; and at every mealtime his doors stood open and his servants called out that whoever is hungry should come and eat. He taught that one who occupies himself with Torah alone, without deeds of chessed, is as one who has no Elokah. As a dayan he took nothing but sechar batalah; he gathered ten talmidei chachamim to sit with him at every din so that the responsibility be shared, and where a litigant could not order his own true claim he would open it for him, citing petach picha l’ilem.

His halachot fill the Bavli in the hundreds. He brings many teachings in the name of Rav, whom he held the final authority in halachah even where he himself differed, and his aggadot were carried to Eretz Yisrael by talmidim such as Rav Zeira. His foremost talmid was Rav Chisda, and among the others were Rav Sheshet, Rav Abba bar Zavda, Rav Giddel, and Rav Chelbo; his son with his wife Chovah, Rabbah bar Rav Huna, later stood himself at the head of the yeshiva of Sura. Rav Huna was niftar suddenly, past eighty years, in 4057/297 — a passing the chachamim of Mehadeiv taught is mitat neshikah, the death of the righteous. By his tzavaah his aron was brought up to Eretz Yisrael, and he was buried in the burial cave of Rabbi Chiya; Rava would later daven to be granted the wisdom of Rav Huna.