רב עוקבא בר חמא

Rav Ukva bar Chama (רב עוקבא בר חמא), sometimes printed in error as Mar Ukva bar Chama, was an amora of Bavel of the fourth generation. He was the older brother of Rami bar Chama, and he is not the same as Rabbi Chama bar Ukva, a different amora. Rami bar Chama passed away young, before he came to be called Rav, whereas Rav Ukva, the older of the two, reached the age of hora’ah (the age to issue halachic rulings) and is called Rav Ukva bar Chama in most places in Shas, and at times Mar Ukva bar Chama. The two brothers were business partners.

He discusses halacha with Rav Nachman, who was most likely his teacher, with his colleagues Abaye and Rava, and with a younger amora, Rav Huna brei d’Rav Yehoshua. The two brothers married two sisters, daughters of Rav Chisda.

The Gemara tells that the mother of Rami bar Chama and Mar Ukva bar Chama gave a piece of land she owned to Rami bar Chama, and afterward gave that same land to Mar Ukva bar Chama. Rami bar Chama came before Rav Sheshet, his principal teacher, who ruled that the land was his, since the deed in his name was written before the one in Mar Ukva’s name. Mar Ukva bar Chama came before Rav Nachman, who ruled by shuda d’dayanei, the discretion of the judges, that the land was his. When Rav Sheshet came to Rav Nachman and was asked why he had ruled as he did, he answered that Rami bar Chama’s deed came first. Rav Nachman replied: are we sitting in Yerushalayim, where they are careful about the order of the hours and write the hour in the deed? We are in Bavel, where people do not write the hour, and their intent in writing a deed is only that the acquisition take effect on that day.

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