רב ספרא

Rav Safra was a Babylonian amora who appears throughout the Talmud as a sharp participant in halachic discussion. He is repeatedly recorded posing questions and objections to Abaye (“אמר ליה רב ספרא לאביי”) and is found in the company of Rava and other contemporaries. His teaching that one should divide one’s years of study—a third in Scripture, a third in Mishnah, a third in Talmud—is cited as a foundational principle of how to apportion learning.

Beyond his halachic activity, Rav Safra is known for the paradigm of “one who speaks truth in his heart” (Makkot 24), an exemplar of how far the obligation of honesty extends. He is likewise mentioned among the early sages who personally toiled in honor of Shabbat, even singeing an animal’s head in preparation for the day.