person · P0016
Yehudah ben Tabbai יהודה בן טבאי
Of the third zug, with Shimon ben Shatach, in the turbulent Hasmonean era of King Yannai. Taught judges not to act as advocates and to treat both litigants equally.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- יהודה בן טבאי
- Era
- zugot
- Received the mesorah from
- Yehoshua ben Perachiah, Nittai HaArbeli
- Transmitted the mesorah to
- Shemaiah, Avtalyon
- Colleagues
- Shimon ben Shatach
II. When
- Traditional
- c. 3620–3710 AM
- Lifespan (traditional)
- ≈90 years
- Precision
- approximate
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| With Shimon ben Shatach, received from the second zug; taught "do not make yourself like the judges' advocates; when litigants stand before you, let them be as guilty in your eyes." | rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Mishnah Chagigah pairs Yehudah ben Tabbai with Shimon ben Shatach in the festival-semikhah dispute and identifies the first member, Yehudah, as Nasi.
Directly stated in the cited source; other traditions dispute which of the pair held which office.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★★ | |
| Makkot relates that Yehudah ben Tabbai executed one conspiring witness to oppose the Sadducees, but Shimon ben Shatach told him the execution was erroneous because both witnesses must be refuted; Yehudah then accepted Shimon's authority and wept at the grave.
The narrative presents Yehudah's remorse and halakhic submission; historical details are not independently corroborated.
|
rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Traditional placement c. 3620–3710 AM (era of Alexander Yannai).
Schematic traditional dating. |
tradition reconstruction | ★★☆☆☆ |